The Fairy Doctor
by J.R. Watkins
Summary: There's more to Dr. Ludwig's young co-worker, than meets the supernatural eye. AU, canon characters. For InvertedMeridian, treewitch703, and ozzo.
1. Chapter 1

A/N All characters are based on those created by Charlaine Harris. No infringement is intended.

The Fairy Doctor

Long before the hiss that accompanied the unlocking and opening of the heavy door of the lab echoed throughout the large room, Sookie had heard the approach of her boss. The small woman's mind reminded Sookie of a sound machine, one that offered a variety of white noises. Sometimes Dr. Ludwig's thoughts sounded animalistic, sometimes they were just static. Whatever Sookie's superior was, or was not, didn't factor into her feelings for the woman. Sookie was very satisfied with her job, and for the relative quiet that accompanied it most nights.

"You still here?" Dr. Ludwig's voice called out.

Sookie's heart dropped, and she debated hiding amongst the large refrigerators that lined the far wall. "I was just about to leave," she lied.

"Uh huh." Sookie followed the top of Dr. Ludwig's head as it bobbed behind the lab tables. "I need your help."

"Oh?" She jumped when the doctor suddenly appeared in front of her, and Sookie automatically tucked the wisps of hair that had escaped her blonde ponytail back into place. "Hey, Amy."

"Grab your coat," Dr. Ludwig commanded. "And your kit." She turned on her tiny heel and headed back the way she came, leaving Sookie scrambling to catch up.

Sookie barely had time to struggle into her formal lab coat and find the black case Amy insisted she take, before running to catch up to the doctor, who had already left. She yanked her long ponytail out from her collar and rounded the corner into the hallway that separated the lab from the patient rooms. The kit she shifted from one hand to her other, could only mean one thing.

"Vampires," Sookie breathed, stopping in her tracks. Towering over Dr. Ludwig were two of them, and Sookie sensed another one inside the room whose door they were blocking. The shorter of the two, a sour-looking male with bright red hair, glared at Sookie as she tentatively walked toward them.

"This is Dr. Stackhouse," Amy said, gesturing to Sookie. "She'll be working with me on this."

Sookie's curiosity was piqued, not because of the vampires, but that she would be working at the bedside with Dr. Ludwig. While Sookie was more than qualified to perform a perfunctory examination of a patient, her talent was in the analysis of the details, usually collected by her boss, and the creative solutions to whatever results the analysis yielded.

"Hey," Sookie said softly, joining the strange group.

The larger of the two vampires, but decidedly the leader, finally turned his attention to her. His eyebrows arched, and the side of his mouth lifted as well. "Hey," he mimicked, somewhat mockingly, looking her over in less than a second and not happy with what he saw. He stared back down at Dr. Ludwig. "A human?" he asked, as if Sookie were not there.

"Some of her," Amy quipped, frowning up at him.

It wasn't anything Sookie hadn't heard before, verbally or mentally, from the clients of Dr. Ludwig. Supernaturals were secretive by nature, and as a result, ethnocentric. Humans, in most eyes, and especially those of vampires, were at the bottom of the food chain.

"I'd get over it, if you want her fixed," Amy went on.

The tall one said something rapidly to the other and followed Dr. Ludwig into the room. Sookie quickly fell in behind them, ignoring the vampire who was now standing guard and sneaking a look at the broad back of the other one.

His hair closely resembled hers, as did his eyes, but his height was in stark contrast to probably everyone around him, Sookie figured. She knew enough, to guess he was very old, and she wondered that she hadn't crossed paths with him until now. He stood at the foot of the hospital bed, crossing his arms and staring at the doctors.

Sookie quickly moved to the other side of the bed and looked at the woman laying motionless on it. She, too, was a vampire, also a blonde, and appeared to Sookie, for lack of a better description, to be dead. When no one said anything, Sookie cleared her throat and spoke. "What's her name?" she asked gently, glancing at the hovering vampire at the woman's feet.

"Pam," he said shortly.

"How long has she been like this?" Sookie asked.

"For the last hour," he said, growing more agitated. "I have already answered these questions," he growled.

"Calm down, Northman," Amy said, flapping a hand at him. "I don't smell silver," she said to Sookie. It was a talent of Dr. Ludwig's, smelling, tasting. Sookie had never tried, nor did she want to.

"Alright." Sookie took a closer look at Pam, pulling up the sleeve of the her dark dress and examining her skin. The vampire's coloring did not have the grayish pallor of silver poisoning, nor could Sookie see any injuries, though in an hour, they would have been long healed. If anything, Pam appeared drugged. "Has she ever done this before? Gone down in the middle of the night?" Sookie asked Northman.

"No."

Sookie tried to hide her sigh at his attitude and looked back to Pam. "When did she last feed?"

"Before she collapsed."

Sookie placed her black kit at the foot of the bed and opened it. "I'll need her blood, and I think we may as well pump her stomach."

"Why?" Northman demanded.

"She ate an hour ago, and then dropped," Sookie patiently explained, pulling out some gloves and putting them on. "Was it from a human?" she asked, and he nodded. "Do you know the donor?"

The tall vampire paused for a second before shaking his head. "No."

"Male or female?" Sookie asked, arranging the things she needed to draw a sample of Pam's blood.

"Does it matter?"

Sookie's patience was wearing thin. "Did a male ejaculate inside your friend, during the blood exchange?" she asked, avoiding looking at him and ignoring the cackle from Dr. Ludwig. Sookie was hoping to avoid an unnecessary examination of any of Pam's body cavities, if possible.

"It was a female, so no," he replied icily.

"I'll get the stuff for her stomach," Amy volunteered, hopping from the stool next to Pam's bed. Sookie suspected it was to get away from the grumpy vampire, but she appreciated the help. The sooner she removed whatever Pam had ingested, the better.

Northman quickly took the doctor's place and followed Sookie's every move. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly. "That needle will not penetrate her skin."

"This one will," Sookie said, sliding the special instrument effortlessly into Pam's vein.

"I could have retrieved a sample for you," he offered. His sense of humor was beginning to show, despite his hostility.

Sookie smiled and transferred the blood into a specimen container. "I wouldn't want you to expose yourself to her blood at the moment, Mr. Northman." She placed the container in her kit, along with the syringe, and gathered her things. "She did not appear harmed?" Sookie clarified, now that he seemed to have calmed a bit.

Northman shook his head and stared at Pam. "We were discussing something, and she..." He gestured to her motionless form.

"Okay." Amy was back with the equipment to pump Pam's stomach, and Sookie was glad for the interruption. She found herself distracted by the handsome vampire, and though he was obviously devoted to the woman in the bed, she was having trouble ignoring his physical appeal. Thank goodness the room would soon reek of partially digested blood, and not overheated human.

"I'll pass the tube into her stomach through her mouth, and this machine here," she explained, resting her hand on the suction unit, "will evacuate the contents of her stomach. Then I'll remove the tube, and run some tests on both samples of her blood back in the lab."

Northman nodded and took a step back from the bed. "I will stay with her."

Sookie removed a gown from the closet to cover her clothes, and was finished emptying Pam's stomach within minutes. "That's it, then." She cleaned Pam's face and apologized out of habit for what she'd had to do to her. "Maybe you can tell her I'm sorry when she's awake," Sookie joked, though the vampire just stared at her strangely. "Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can," she said, grabbing her things and scurrying from the room.

Sookie had almost made it back to the lab, when she realized one of the vampires was following her. Her telepathy was useless in reading their thoughts, but she was able to follow their movements, by paying attention to the void created by their heads. She paused by the door and waited for whomever it was. "Mr. Northman?" she asked, as he silently strode into view.

He seemed as surprised and wary as she was. "I would like to watch," he said simply.

They stared each other down, and it occurred to Sookie, that he was possibly trying to glamor her into doing what he wanted. "No," she said, testing him.

His nostrils flared as he approached her further. "Then I will wait at the door, and you will return her blood to me when you finish with it."

Now he was trying to glamor her. Instead of admitting that his vampire trick wouldn't work on her, she held open the door to the lab for him. "You may watch," she said pleasantly. "And you may have her blood back, if you want," she added. She ignored the angry look on his face and marched past him, eager to get to work.

Northman did watch, with interest, as Sookie set up her water baths and various other pieces of equipment. Were he not so vested in his Child's recovery, he would have relieved Sookie of her oversized coat and whatever else she was wearing under the unsightly garment. "I did not know Dr. Ludwig had anyone else working with her," he offered after a while.

"I've been here for over a year," Sookie answered absent-mindedly. She waved Northman over to her side of the table. "Stomach," she said, gesturing to the bath on the left, "vein," she said, pointing to the right. She simultaneously lowered a strip saturated with each of Pam's samples into a smaller glass container that sat in each bath.

He purposely stepped in behind her, brushing up against her back, and was surprised that she didn't flinch. "What am I supposed to see?" he asked.

"There," she said, pointing out the particles forming on the strips and sinking to the bottom of each container. The sample from Pam's stomach seemed to have more. "Silver." Sookie cut the flames and stared in front of her. Abruptly she turned to face Northman, mere inches between them. "Here's what I think...it's colloidal silver."

Northman, as much as he wanted to hear what had happened to Pam, was amazed with Dr. Stackhouse. She remained in front of him, seemingly oblivious of whom or what he was, talking to him as if they knew each other. Her wide blue eyes looked directly into his as a peer, instead of as a predator. Whatever she was, and he was certain it was not entirely human, he liked her.

"...but what I think you need to take from this, is that Pam ingested the silver. Whether it was an intentional poisoning or not, you'd be hard-pressed to prove that it was, given the number of people who regularly take colloidal silver supplements. I am, however, going to run a toxicology screen on her stomach contents, because I have to wonder, if the silver isn't bound to something else. She acts like she's been drugged. Do you know if her donor was a drug addict?" Sookie stared up at him and blinked. "Mr. Northman?"

He shook himself out of his Dr. Stackhouse-induced haze to answer her. "My name is Eric."

"Oh...sorry."

"I have never been affected by a human's drug consumption," he said, ignoring her apology.

"Huh." Sookie pondered it, resting her hand on her cocked hip and inadvertently shifting her knee into his.

"How long will she be like this?" he asked.

"How long does she go between feedings?"

Eric shrugged. "She could probably last a week, at this point."

"I suppose we could exchange it out," Sookie mused, "though there's not much in there." Sookie knew, traditionally, vampires fed their own blood to a victim of silver poisoning, in hopes of diluting it out. It rarely worked.

Eric glanced at his watch and grimaced. "I must get her home," he said, though he had no desire to leave.

Sookie nodded and patted him on the chest. "Bring her back tomorrow, and I'll take the silver out."

Eric was stunned. "How?" He was well aware, the death sentence that silver poisoning was, but Sookie's calm demeanor had somehow affected his.

"With a machine," she said, confused by the look on his face. "Kind of like dialysis...we'll just...filter...are you okay, Eric?"

Dr. Ludwig decided to return to the lab at that moment, and the pair unconsciously stepped apart from each other. "So?" she asked. "What did you find? And what are you doing in here, Northman?"

"Colloidal silver," Sookie confirmed. "Eric came in to observe that I maintained the integrity of Pam's blood."

Amy rolled her eyes. "How do you want to treat it?" she asked.

"I'd love to try pheresis," Sookie replied, looking up at Eric hopefully.

"It's a fortune," Amy warned.

As if money were Eric's concern. "Does it work?"

"We'll find out, won't we?" Amy asked, laughing. "That's why I hired her. She thinks, always coming up with things on her own. And she somehow convinces all of you to go along with it!"

"Just consider it," Sookie suggested. "I'll be here by seven tomorrow night, and if you decide to go this route, call me before you bring her in, and I'll set everything up." She fished around the large pockets of her coat and pulled out a card for him. "My number is on there." Never had Sookie given any information about herself to anyone, certainly not to a hospital client or family. She knew this, but still, she watched, with great anticipation, as Eric pocketed the card after examining it.

Sookie was generally fascinated with those she met, and with her gift of telepathy, it took her far less time to get to 'know' someone. Perhaps it was that she could not read Eric's thoughts, she wondered, that made him so appealing to her.

"I believe I can help your mate," she said sincerely. Before Eric could reply, Sookie placed what was left of the samples she took from Pam in a bag and handed them to the vampire. "We incinerate here, but I understand if you're more comfortable taking care of these yourself. Just don't let anyone drink it," she added seriously.

Dr. Ludwig, who had watched the exchange with great interest, suppressed her laughter. She was sure, that Eric Northman, the area's Sheriff and most powerful vampire, had never encountered anyone like Sookie Stackhouse in his thousand-plus years of existence. She also knew, that had Sookie shown Eric anything but her inherent non-aggressive behavior, the girl would have been dead the minute she poked Eric's Child.

"Mate?" the doctor barked. "Does Pam's girlfriend know about this?"

Eric shot her a glare, before turning back to Sookie. The blush on her face was disarming, and he fought the urge to lick her cheek. "I will be in touch," he promised.

"I'm sorry-" Sookie stammered, but he was gone. She looked tearfully at her boss before nervously smoothing out her lab coat. "I didn't mean to offend him," she said softly.

"I doubt very much that you offended him," the petite woman snorted. "If he says he'll be in touch, he'll be in touch." She watched Sookie put her things in order and sighed. Northman didn't know about the girl's telepathy, or who her great-grandfather was, but Dr. Ludwig did, and a small part of her feared for Sookie. The path ahead was clear to the doctor, but Sookie would never survive if she tried to hide anything from the Viking vampire. She also wouldn't survive, if said vampire chose to let Sookie go down the path on her own. He might even be the one to ambush her.

Amy Ludwig had kept Sookie as safe as she could, tucked away inside their corner of the supernatural community, but like anything achieved in the hospital, she wondered if it were enough.


	2. Chapter 2

The Fairy Doctor

When midnight came and went, Sookie begrudgingly acknowledged to herself, that Eric was not bringing Pam to the hospital that night. It was just as well, she rationalized. It would take at least four hours to filter Pam's blood, and possibly another one to two, to set up and take down the equipment. And that was without complications, which Sookie fully expected, the least of which was sure to come in the form of Eric Northman.

Sookie sighed and pushed aside her microscope. Dr. Ludwig was near, and Sookie welcomed the distraction. There were only so many ingested parasites to identify in the Were stool sample, before her mind began to wander.

"What did you find?" Amy's voice piped out, long before Sookie could see her.

"Whipworm," Sookie confirmed.

Amy eyed the young doctor and laughed. "You wanna go tell the kid to stop eating shit, or should I?"

Sookie smirked at first, before giggling. "You'd think their parents would warn them, the first time they shifted."

Amy waved her off and clambered onto the seat next to Sookie. "I can only imagine what they sink their teeth into."

"I'd be happy to tell them," Sookie offered.

"I can do it." She watched as Sookie disposed of the slides and samples. "I suppose your vampire isn't making it in tonight, huh?"

Sookie glanced at the wall clock and shook her head. "It's too late now," she said, disappointed. "I really thought he'd bring her in."

If Dr. Ludwig knew Eric, and she felt she did to some extent, he was forcing fresh vampire blood into his Child as they spoke, most likely to no avail. Pam was in no capacity to feed. "He'll be in tomorrow night, you watch."

Sookie tried to hide her smile and failed. "You think?" She was as excited to try the treatment, as she was to see the tall, blond vampire again.

"Yep." Amy hopped to the floor and tugged on Sookie's skirt. "Looks like you picked the wrong night to dress up," she said, winking at her blushing friend. "I'll talk to the family, you get out of here," she commanded, marching off before Sookie could argue.

The drive was short into downtown. Sookie parked in the garage under her apartment building, contemplating what to do, when her empty stomach made the decision for her. In her rush to get ready for work, she had forgotten to eat, choosing to spend her time fretting over what to wear.

Sookie shook her head at herself as her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hello?" she snapped, still angry at her foolishness.

The smooth voice sent a shiver down her spine. "Dr. Stackhouse?"

"Yes?" she stammered, knowing who was calling.

"Eric Northman," he calmly said.

"Hey." She stared dumbly at the building in front of her and nodded absent-mindedly at the Were standing by the door.

"You are not at the hospital."

Sookie glanced around as if she were guilty of something. "No," she replied. "I was...I'm just getting something to eat." She didn't realize, Eric could hear she was not indoors. It also did not occur to her, that he was possibly at the hospital, looking for her. "Dr. Ludwig sent me home," she whispered.

"You are at home?" he asked.

"Oh...no." Sookie looked up at the sign above the bar. "I was gonna...there's a kitchen upstairs...you can eat there." She realized she was babbling. "Hair of the Dog," she blurted.

"I wish to bring Pam back tomorrow," he said, ignoring her outburst.

"Okay. I'm ready. I mean, I'll be ready." Sookie rested her forehead against the rough side of building and sighed. "Tomorrow's fine, I'll be there."

"Until then," Eric replied, ending the call.

Sookie was halfway through her BLT when her back stiffened. Though she faced away from the doorway, she knew to whom the void she sensed with her head belonged. Nor could she ignore the look of alarm on the bartender's face. Sookie leaned around the back of her booth and grimaced. "Eric?"

"Dr. Stackhouse," he said, sliding smoothly into the seat across from her.

Sookie cast out with her head and was shocked to find that Eric had come alone. She awkwardly swallowed her mouthful of sandwich and wiped her lips with her napkin. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked, glancing nervously at the now-angry bartender. Sookie was certain, she had never seen a vampire, downstairs or upstairs, at the bar.

Eric smirked, and Sookie felt his legs extend on either side of hers under the table. "No, thank you." He watched, as she took a long drink of soda before pushing away her plate. "Finished?" he asked.

Sookie nodded and searched through her jacket for her wallet. "We should go." She could already hear the clamor of minds downstairs, and she knew it was a matter of time before the room was full of angry werewolves.

Eric stood and placed several bills on the table. "Come," he ordered, extending his hand.

Sookie gladly took it and followed him down the stairs and back onto the street. "That was close," she murmured, unconsciously moving up against Eric as they walked along the sidewalk, still clinging to his hand. "What on earth were you thinking?'' she asked.

Eric glanced down at the strange, beautiful human woman and smiled, though she wasn't looking at him. He realized how they appeared together, like countless other human couples he'd watched with disinterest over the course of his long life. "I wished to speak with you," he said simply.

"You could have called," she huffed, stopping them to stare up at him. Sookie moved her hand from Eric's to grab his arm as if to shake him. "They don't like vampires, you know this."

Part of her appeal, aside from her pleasing figure and obvious intelligence, was her willingness to talk to him, as if it were normal, as if he were not who or what he was. "Why do they like you?" he asked.

Sookie wasn't sure how to answer him. "Dr. Ludwig," she said automatically.

Eric doubted that was the only reason, though he knew the supernatural doctor had close ties with several Were families. "I did call you," he said, redirecting the conversation. They had stopped in front of a nondescript apartment building, which Eric knew from his own connections to be the one in which Sookie lived. "You told me where you were, so I came to see you."

"Why?" she asked.

Eric hesitated. He couldn't say, because he felt compelled to do so. He couldn't say, that he went down that morning, and rose that night, thinking of her. "You will save Pam," he responded instead, which he believed, because for some reason, he believed in Sookie Stackhouse. Had he not, he wouldn't be standing there with her, while his Child quietly succumbed to the silver poisoning her body.

Sookie's hand slipped from Eric's sleeve as she whispered his Child's name. "Right," she said, louder but distracted. She nodded emphatically and took a small step back from him. Sookie knew that vampires, like most supernaturals, were open to all variations of mating. The rules of coupling were largely based on desire. Eric was there for Pam, not for Sookie.

Eric was fairly certain what was going through the young doctor's mind. He'd heard her heartbeat, he'd felt the heat that radiated off her, and he'd smelled the changes in her scent, whenever he was close. Perhaps it was time for a small disclosure, to get what he wanted.

"Pam is my Child," he said, his stare intense on Sookie's face. When her expression remained unchanged, he continued. "She is not my mate, though she is...invaluable to me."

"It's none of my business," Sookie said quickly, suddenly uncomfortable. Her sexual experiences were limited to those of her choosing, kind, if somewhat simple, college-age boys, whose thoughts were easy to ignore in the throes of passion. But the vampire in front of her, she knew, was anything but simple, or young.

"Sookie," Eric started.

"I'm so sorry, but I think you should go," she said hurriedly, concentrating on something down the block. She could hear someone coming, someone who would be extremely unhappy, and possibly violent, at the sight of Eric.

The blond vampire followed her gaze and slowly nodded. He would go, or at least, make the appearance of doing so, to appease her. "Tomorrow," he said, smirking at her blush as he brushed her long hair over her shoulder, grazing her neck as he did so.

Eric disappeared so quickly, Sookie was unsure which way he had gone. She cast out for him, finding him just at the end of her range, directly above her. He drifted in and out, hovering, and she couldn't help but smile, despite the hulking Were making his way toward her.

His gruff voice rumbled along the block. "Sookie," Alcide growled.

"Hey, Alcide," she replied, trying to hide the nervousness in her shaky voice. Eric was moving closer, from above, and Sookie wondered, if she were to look up, what she would see.

Alcide slowed his approach and visibly calmed himself. He'd looked for her at the bar, after receiving a disturbing phone call, and acted without thinking. "You alright?"

Sookie waved her hand along the length of her body, as if to show him, and nodded. Alcide Herveaux confused her to no end. She felt herself physically attracted to him, but he seemed so completely ensconced in his wolf pack, she could never understand his concern for her.

"I'm fine, as you can see," she quipped. Alcide was one of the few Weres she had ever considered bedding, though it would have been a tight fit, the two of them there, along with his girlfriend.

Alcide sighed and raked his large hand through his messy hair. "What were you doing with Northman at the bar, Sookie?" he asked, opting for bluntness over manners.

"It's professional, Alcide," she said coolly. She didn't appreciate his nosiness, or his apparent jealousy, which spiked bright green from his mind.

"The Hair of the Dog isn't your personal office."

Sookie nodded stiffly, despite the smarting in her eyes. Of all things, being put in her place was one of her least favorite. "We left immediately, as I'm sure you heard," she explained. Alcide had also reminded her, with that single statement, that she was not a Were, and at that moment, she was grateful.

Alcide knew he had hurt her feelings, and insulted her as well, but he had more to say. "Vampires, Sookie? I know you're smarter than that," he implored.

Sookie cocked her head and stepped toward him. She contemplated reminding him, who was smarter. Was Alcide? The man who'd impaled himself during a fit of rage while shifting, necessitating her emergency services? "Your concern is misplaced," she said evenly, eyeing him up and down. "But thanks anyway." She could be rude, as well, but only when provoked.

Above her, perched on a ledge, Eric laughed to himself. If this were the way Sookie routinely handled herself, he no longer wondered why she was comfortable around vampires. It was also clear to him, that she had no sexual relationship with Herveaux, which greatly pleased a long-buried part of Eric's character.

Alcide wanted to argue, but Sookie cut him off. "Message received," she assured him, smiling brightly. "It won't happen again."

They stared at each other for a moment, before Alcide mumbled goodnight and left in the direction of the bar. Sookie sighed and reached for the door of the building. Without thinking, she looked up, along the brick facade.

Eric instinctively stepped back, though he knew she could not see him. He recalled his conversations with her, searching for any of the antagonistic behavior he'd just seen her exhibit toward the Were, finding none. He adjusted his growing erection before leaving the rooftop. Tomorrow he would bring Pam to Sookie. They would spend the night in each other's company, and Eric would figure a way, once his Child was cured, to ensure that the rest of Sookie's nights were occupied in the same.


	3. Chapter 3

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie surveyed her equipment with her hands clapped on her cheeks. She had, she hoped, everything she would need to filter Pam's blood.

There was a bustling in the room behind her, and a long whistle. "Looks like a real hospital room," Dr. Ludwig marveled.

Sookie shook her head and blew out a large breath. "Will you be here?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll be around," Amy answered vaguely. She eyed the dark blanket, folded neatly on the window sill. "Is that for when she wakes up?" she asked, pointing to the blanket.

Sookie nodded. "I don't plan on reversing her tonight, but you never know..." Her voice trailed off and she checked her watch. The sun had just set, and she expected it wouldn't be long before Eric showed up.

Amy's furry eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You found drugs in her system? Something that you can reverse?"

"Heroin."

"Huh." That surprised the doctor. While she'd never taken the opportunity, nor had the inclination, to analyze a vampire's blood, she had assumed the ancient magic that surrounded them, made most substances null and void. "Why?" she blurted.

Sookie shrugged. "Pam doesn't seem poisoned by silver to me. I mean, maybe that's the point. You know, silver is used in tracing receptor sites in the central nervous system. It's ingenious, really, providing an opiate and silver together, binding them right to the brain's receptors..." Sookie's voice trailed off at the expression on Dr. Ludwig's face.

Few things fazed the wizened physician, but the idea that her young protege may have stumbled onto something designed to kill the only truly immortal group of supernaturals, and that this same girl had also come up with a potential treatment for it, had her head spinning. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry," Amy admitted to a confused Sookie.

They both glanced to the door and nodded to each other. "Good luck, sweetie," Amy said sincerely, stepping aside as Eric entered the room with a limp Pam in his arms.

Sookie watched, as he laid Pam on the bed. It seemed that he had come alone, and Sookie wondered if one vampire, as strong as she was sure Eric was, would be enough to subdue Pam, should the need arise.

"Her color appears worse tonight," he commented.

"A little, maybe," Sookie conceded. She motioned to the dress Pam wore and cleared her throat. "I'll need to remove..." When Eric didn't respond, Sookie covered the unconscious vampire with a sheet, and managed to discreetly pull the bottom of the long dress she wore to her hips. She then carefully exposed Pam's right hip and thigh.

"How long will this take?" Eric asked gruffly.

Sookie stopped what she was doing to look at him. "I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Days, weeks, months?"

Sookie's eyes widened. "God, no! A few hours tonight, maybe tomorrow." She studied the surprised look on Eric's face. "Why? How long would it take if she fed from you?" Sookie had been sure that he would be angry to find out he might have to bring Pam back tomorrow night.

"Much longer than several hours."

She opened her kit reserved for vampires, and set to work putting in the access lines she would need to drain and return Pam's blood. "I decided to use the pediatric set designed for filtration," she explained, as if Eric would understand what she was saying. "So technically, it's not really pheresis, more like dial-"

"What are those?" Eric asked.

"These are the catheters that will stay in Pam's vein during the treatment." Sookie looked at the crudely shaped needles, embarrassed to even call them catheters.

"Her body will expel them."

Sookie shook her head. "Not these." She took an extra one and handed it to him. "Recognize it?" she asked.

Eric studied the pointy object, even smelling it, before pressing it deep into his fingertip, eliciting a gasp from Sookie. "What is it?" he demanded, sucking his bleeding finger into his mouth.

"Jesus, Eric! Give me that!" She grabbed the needle back from him and placed it in her kit. "It's a vampire fang!"

"It does not look like one."

"I had it drilled and shaped," she said, exasperated. "A friend of mine has a machine shop...never mind!"

Eric was intrigued. "Who told you that would work?"

Sookie shook her head and taped in the line she had successfully placed in Pam's femoral vein. "No one. I came up with it myself." She quickly flushed the catheter and hooked up the dialysis tubing.

"Where did you get the fangs?" Eric asked.

"I found them," she grumbled, turning to the machine. She would not to mention that it was while looking for a pen in Dr. Ludwig's desk, that she came across several of them, rattling around the drawer. Some people collected buttons, Amy Ludwig apparently held onto teeth. "I had to figure they would be the one thing a vampire's body wouldn't reject."

Sookie set the machine to run for the next few hours and turned back to face Eric, who was now standing directly in front of her.

"You are very intelligent," he observed.

"So are you."

Eric smirked and fixed his eyes on the machine behind her. "How does this work?"

Sookie explained the path Pam's blood would take, what would happen to it once it reached the filter, the fluids it would be exposed to, and finally it's path back into Pam's vein. "The silver, because of the size of its particles, will stay trapped in the filter."

Eric nodded thoughtfully. "There will be no more silver left in her body?"

Sookie smiled unexpectedly at his question. "You're too smart, Eric. No, there will still be silver in her body. It's something we need to discuss."

He nodded and sat on the bed at Pam's feet. "Explain."

"I found heroin," she started. "I know you said you're unaffected by drugs, but this is different." Sookie could feel herself slipping into 'doctor mode,' and she hoped she wouldn't lose him. "Any drug you take, it has a specific destination. Heroin, which is an opiate, finds places in your central nervous system, and binds itself in certain spots."

"Receptor sites," Eric said drily.

"Right," she said excitedly. "Well, then you know, silver is commonly used to trace receptor sites-"

"You believe the opiate took the silver with it?" he asked, interrupting her.

"I have no idea. Well, maybe I do, but I don't know that it matters. Either way, there's silver in her CNS, bound to the sites, but I think it's in her favor that the heroin took it along." She looked at Eric expectantly, thrilled to be discussing it with someone. Dr. Ludwig had seemed reluctant, but Eric was all ears.

He cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"If we reverse her with Narcan, it should block the silver out along with the heroin. We'll get it when we filter her again." She unconsciously gazed at the machine, as if it were a baby who had just taken its first steps.

Eric nodded slowly, but studied Sookie with such intensity it made her blush. "You came up with this?" he finally asked.

"Receptor sites?"

"No. All of this," he clarified, gesturing to the machine, and to his Child. "You said she seemed drugged, yet you tested her for silver. You devised a plan to remove it from her blood, and a way to release any of it hidden still in her body?"

Sookie worried that Eric felt she was experimenting on Pam, that she didn't know what she was doing. "I really think it will work. I won't be able to give the Narcan tonight, but definitely tomorrow. I don't want to expose her blood to too much at one time, even if she is a vampire..."

Eric held up his hand to stop her rambling. "Why would that concern you?" He did not doubt Sookie, he was simply fascinated with her and her complete lack of understanding of her own value.

"Well, there's really no precedent for this," she explained. "I don't pretend to understand what makes your blood the way it is. I should be able to clear the silver that's still circulating tonight, but I'm guessing there's more bound up in her other tissues at this point. And the thing with Narcan, you kind of have to give it in increments, until the effects of the opiate are reversed. We're only gonna know that, if she wakes up. But at that point, there may be so much freed-up silver circulating in her bloodstream, she's not going to feel very well."

Eric was astounded. "You are worried for her."

Sookie weighed his statement. "I'm not really worried. I'd just rather have a clean, new circuit, I think. I'd like to filter her again as quickly as is safely possible."

They both were quiet then, listening to the whirring and clicking of the dialysis circuit. Sookie knew that vampire blood did not clot as human blood did, but she'd also never used a filter for a substance such as silver. She was a little excited to see, though, that her homemade catheters had indeed stayed in Pam's flesh, and had not been pushed out by her body.

"Are you okay, Eric?" Sookie asked quietly. He appeared to be staring at Pam, his hand resting on her foot.

"I am." Abruptly he stood to walk across the room and retrieve a chair, which he placed next to Sookie. "Sit," he said, resuming his place on the bed. "Are you satisfied with your work here, Sookie?"

"I will be when Pam gets off the bed and walks out of here," she said, smiling.

"No," he said, laughing. "In general, here in this hospital."

"Sure." Her answer gave little clue to how she truly felt about it. Sookie avoided his gaze by pretending to watch the machine, until another idea occurred to her. "Is Pam bonded with anyone?" she asked, out of the blue.

Eric was slow to answer, and did so with a question of his own. "Why?" He had explained his relationship as Pam's Maker, but obviously Sookie did not fully understand what that meant.

Sookie, in fact, knew little of vampires and their blood bonds, though she did know it was poor etiquette to question a vampire's ancestry. "I'm curious as to how this affects it," she said, pointing to the tubing carrying Pam's blood in and out of her body. "I mean, like I said, I don't know what makes your blood, your blood. I was just wondering..."

"Will it matter?" Eric asked. "Will this treatment affect her bonds?" He was fully aware of his Child's presence in his blood, though it had been subdued since Pam's collapse.

"I have no idea," Sookie said, shrugging. "I'm thinking she might need blood tomorrow night, after we filter her again. I can have some available, unless you all wanted to handle that." She stood to tap at the screen on the machine. "She should be awake, so she could feed."

Eric rose from the bed and drifted to the large window. "Whatever you think will work," he said, staring out into the dark. He would provide for Pam, if necessary. When he bent to lean on the sill, Sookie cursed.

"Shit! Don't touch that!" she hissed, scooting around him to knock the blanket away. She picked it up from the floor and tossed it quickly into the closet. "Sorry!"

"Sookie?" he asked, amused with the way she straightened her clothes and refused to meet his eyes.

She swallowed and unconsciously moved toward the bed, further from Eric. "The blanket's silver," she said nervously. "Well, the net sewn inside of it is. I only had it in case Pam..." Sookie gestured to the bed helplessly. "I don't know how she'll be when she wakes up, and I figured I could just throw it over her if I had to. Just until the treatment was finished. It won't burn her!" she promised.

Eric added the information to the mental list in his head, of reasons this human should be killed. Not by him. He was too interested in her survival to do it himself, but the list of those she could take down was much longer than his arm. "The blanket is yours?" he asked, and she nodded. "You could have quite the prolific career as a drainer, were that your desire."

The look on Sookie's face was one of disgust. "You think I would do something like that?" she asked incredulously.

"You are doing it now," he pointed out, smirking. Her posture was the one he'd seen her take with the Were the previous evening.

Sookie blinked back her tears of anger and turned her attention back to the machine. Though she couldn't record the specifics of Pam's treatment, for obvious reasons, she busied herself with jotting down the settings she'd used, along with the equipment, in case she found herself called upon to do this again.

"I have offended you," Eric said gently.

"I've been called lots of names, Mr. Northman." Most of them mentally, many of them sexually explicit. "Drainer has never been one of them." Her tone was not angry, it was disappointed. Eric was possibly the most intelligent, certainly the most interesting, being she could remember meeting. Because Sookie had not immediately heard his rejection of her from his mind, it bothered her more now, knowing how he categorized her.

Eric left Sookie alone with her thoughts for awhile. He probed his bond with his Child, finding it intact. But the draw to the puzzling human in front of him became too strong, and he found himself staring at her instead. The scrubs she wore did little to hide the lush figure beneath them, and her scent, that of good health and the outdoors, made his fangs ache.

"You have no idea, the threat you pose," he said reluctantly, startling her.

Sookie cleared her throat and turned to face him. "I do understand it, Mr. Northman. I choose not to let it dictate my life."

"I can see that," he agreed, smiling widely. He liked her, everything about her, and he felt the urge to stop this dance they were doing. "I saw you last night...with Herveaux."

"I know," she said calmly. "I take it, you can fly?"

Eric hadn't anticipated getting into his suspicions about Sookie this soon, but there was no time, he'd once heard, like the present. "I can," he confirmed. "I take it, you can sense things others cannot?" Sookie's flinch was barely perceptible, but she knew Eric saw it. "You knew he was approaching, from more than a block away. You knew I was coming, the first night we met, when I followed you to your lab."

Sookie debated how to approach her telepathy with him. "Weres, humans, demons...I can hear them. With my mind."

Eric was aware, of the beings she had not mentioned. "Hear them how, with your mind?"

"I'm telepathic."

"And vampires?" he asked, rising to his full height.

Sookie slowly shook her head, but stayed where she stood. "Your minds are silent to me."

"There is more to it, than that."

Her eyes shifted to the space above his head. "I can tell where you are, because there's a hole where your thoughts should be. That's how I knew a vampire was behind me in the hallway, and that's how I knew you were still around last night, outside my apartment."

"Is Dr. Ludwig the only person for whom you work?"

Sookie blinked at the change of subject in Eric's questions. "Yes?" she answered, confused. "This is my only job, if that's what you mean."

The conversation was interrupted by an alarm from the dialysis machine. Sookie calmly looked over the circuit and sighed, muting the alarm. "I think we're done for the night. The filter's clotting, so I'll have to take her off." She clamped the lines attached to Pam and began to disconnect them from her groin. "I won't be able to give her back the blood still left in the circuit, though. Do you want me to transfuse her? I have donor blood."

Sookie glanced at the clock, before looking back to Eric, who still had not answered her. "Three hours isn't so bad," she said encouragingly. "What would you like me to do about a transfusion?"

Eric scrutinized Pam for a moment. "She does not appear as gray." Fresh blood would improve her appearance, but the vampire in him did not, given what Pam had suffered, trust an unknown source.

"So take it out?" Sookie asked, her hands paused above Pam's hip. Eric nodded, and Sookie finished removing the line and cleaning Pam's already-healing skin. She pulled Pam's dress back into place and folded back the sheet. "She'll need blood tomorrow night, so let me know how you want to handle that."

Eric watched silently, as Sookie briefly squeezed Pam's hand, before turning back to the machine and dismantling it. "Thank you," he said quietly to Sookie's back.

"Sure." She pulled a bag from the back of the machine, and stuffed the used tubing into it. "Here," she said, handing it to him. "I'll be sterilizing my needles, but I think the blood's already dry on them." Sookie went the extra step of removing her barely bloodied gloves and depositing them in the bag, as well.

There was no sarcasm, or malice in her actions, Eric saw. She was respecting his wishes. "We will return tomorrow night," he promised, lifting Pam into his arms, but Sookie was already back to work, removing bags of clear fluid and stripping the room of trash.

"I'll be here," she said, offering him a quick smile before pulling the linens from the empty bed.

Eric paused by the door. "You do not have someone to...?" he started, referring to the cleaning of the room.

Sookie laughed as she stuffed the sheets into a bin. "It's just me, Mr. Northman. I'm used to it."

The truth behind her comment hit Eric hard, and as he carried Pam to his waiting car, he began to plan, just how he intended to change that.


	4. Chapter 4

The Fairy Doctor

"I need you this time."

Dr. Ludwig paused, before shrugging her white coat back on. "Alright," she grumbled. She'd had a call from a nervous shifter, pregnant with her first full-blooded offspring, who was worried for the third time that week that she was in labor. Another few hours wouldn't matter, and if Amy were to miss the birth, so much the better. The girl's female kin were more than capable of helping, though the doctor in her did hate to miss a crack at the placenta.

Sookie's smile was wide with relief. "I want to run Pam's blood once she's on, to see if the silver's cleared-"

"Just show me where you want me," Amy said, waving her off.

"I have the water baths ready," Sookie said quickly, gesturing to the lab table. "Or you could stay with her," she offered, "while I run the test."

Dr. Ludwig's raised eyebrow was enough of an answer. "No, dear, I'll let you keep the Viking company," she cracked.

"Viking?"

"The Northman?" Amy asked, chuckling.

"Oh." Sookie hadn't had much time to consider Eric's past. "He must have been considered extremely tall for those times," she marveled.

"Has all his teeth, too," Amy added, studying her friend. "Plus those two pointy ones."

Sookie briefly contemplated asking Amy how she had acquired all those loose fangs while they were on the subject, but stopped herself. "I could probably use you in the room, too, if that's okay."

Amy sighed and adjusted her coat. Despite the prejudice she'd encountered in her own life, there was little compassion in her heart for the undead. Though every vampire had once been human, the majority of them were the least humane beings she had ever encountered. When she looked at it, she supposed it made sense, since there were plenty of humans that way, as well.

Sookie was quick to withdraw her request. "Just when I test her blood," she reasoned. "Eric will be there..."

"So will I," Amy promised. "Let's get it over with!" she exclaimed, marching from the lab. She waited with Sookie in the patient room, watching as she checked and rechecked the equipment. "Got your Narcan?" she asked, nodding as Sookie held up a handful of ampules. She turned in time to see Eric enter the room, his Child once again in his arms. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," she drawled.

Eric glared, until the tiny physician slid from where she was perched on the bed. "I could say the same," he replied. "Full moon, is it not? Surely, some...thing will be dragging something in tonight."

Dr. Ludwig laughed and clasped her hands. "You mean like you're doing right now?"

Sookie took a deep breath and adjusted the sheet over Pam. "Dr. Ludwig will be assisting tonight, Mr. Northman," she said loudly, talking over the two of them. "We'll be checking Pam's blood when we start, like I did the night you brought her in."

"So be nice," Amy added, folding her arms across her chest.

"To see if her bloodstream's cleared of the silver, so we know where we're starting out," Sookie continued.

Eric nodded and stood near the head of the bed. "Tonight she awakes."

"I hope so," Sookie said.

The three were silent, as Sookie repeated her actions of the previous night. She noticed Pam was wearing the same dress and offered to replace it with a hospital gown.

"She would be more than satisfied, if you were to ruin those particular clothes," he assured Sookie.

Once the lines were in place and secured, Sookie drew off some blood and handed it to Amy. "I set up two baths, if you don't mind running it twice."

"Smart girl," Amy said, leaving with the sample.

Sookie immediately hooked Pam up to the dialysis circuit and began drawing up the Narcan she'd need to reverse the heroin in the vampire's system. "I have another set-up ready to go, in case the filter clogs again."

"I know you will do your best," Eric said quietly, and she glanced at him, finding his face serious.

"It could be a while," Sookie mumbled, gesturing to the chair by the bed, but he ignored her. She leaned on the window sill and pretended to study the fluctuating numbers on the machine.

Sookie had told herself she would be polite, that she would treat Pam as she would any other patient, and she would be happy, as she had told Eric, to see Pam walk out on her own. What she hadn't planned on, was the sudden anxiety she felt, that she might not see Eric Northman again.

"Tell me about Herveaux," Eric said, breaking the silence.

"You probably know as much as I do," she hedged. "His family is in construction. He's a werewolf." She shrugged and smiled. "He has green eyes."

Eric smirked and looked her over. "Does he know what color yours are?"

"No, but I'm sure he knows what color his girlfriend's are," Sookie replied matter-of-factly.

"Ah."

"I'm sure you appreciated that it wasn't a friendly conversation, Eric."

He smiled that she had slipped and used his given name. "It did not seem to be your usual level of politeness, no," he agreed.

Sookie blushed and look ashamed. "I was rude."

"He was ruder."

"You're good to go," Dr. Ludwig announced, bursting back into the room. "Time to wake her up."

Sookie looked between Eric and Pam. "You might have to-"

"I will be ready for her," Eric said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He braced Pam's arms with his own and nodded to Sookie.

"Okay." Sookie steadied her breathing, and picked up the first syringe. "I'll go slow, but once it works, she'll wake up. Like, wake up, wake up," she said, widening her eyes at Eric.

"Proceed," he said calmly.

Sookie emptied the first syringe into the circuit, injecting the drug slowly over several minutes. She had just attached the second syringe, when she noticed Eric tightening his grip on Pam, and leaning his face closer to hers.

"It's working," he said.

Sookie nodded and looked to Amy, who waved her on to keep going. Half the syringe went in, when suddenly Pam's eyes opened, and Eric began hissing something softly at her. Sookie didn't recognize the language, but Pam did. She growled and snapped at him, kicking the sheet from her legs.

"Her blood!" Sookie exclaimed, applying pressure to Pam's groin. She wasn't worried about the equipment, or the catheters, only about spilling the vampire's blood, which Sookie didn't think Pam could afford at the moment.

"Dammit, Northman," Amy yelled, ripping the blanket from the closet. "Control her, or I'll use it," she threatened.

Pam continued to thrash, and Sookie tried to angle herself as far from Pam as she could, but not before Pam's knee made contact with the flesh of Sookie's upper arm. She yelped in pain, and Eric became furious, sliding his body over Pam's.

"Get out," Amy ordered, pulling Sookie around the bed and toward the door.

They stumbled into the hallway, and Amy pulled the door shut behind them. "He'll get her under control," she said breathlessly. "You should go put some ice on that, now." Sookie's arm was already swelling, and Sookie knew the bruising would be severe. "That could have been your skull!" Amy exclaimed, thumping on the door.

Sookie clenched her right fist and winced. "It's fine, it'll be fine," she said shakily. She held her arm out for Amy to inspect it, jerking away when she went to palpate it.

"It's not broken," Amy confirmed. She shook her head and glared at the door.

"I'll ice it as soon as we're done," Sookie promised.

"We should end the damn treatment now!" Amy cursed. "She's obviously awake!"

Sookie shook her head. "I want to leave her on until the filter clots, and then we have to test her again. And she'll need blood, too."

Amy sighed and looked up at her. "Well, it won't be yours!" she said, shoving open the door.

Eric was again seated on the bed, blocking Pam from their view. Sookie was relieved to see the machine still running and the lines still in place. The blanket lay in a heap on the floor.

Sookie took a deep breath, and pushed past her boss into the room. She paused at the bottom of the bed to introduce herself. "Hi, Pam-"

"Do not bother," Eric interrupted.

Sookie shot him a look and glanced at Pam. The vampire's eyes were narrowed on Sookie already, and her fangs suddenly appeared, causing Sookie to step back.

"How do you feel?" Sookie asked automatically, ignoring Eric's comment.

"She cannot speak to you, I have forbidden her to," Eric said hotly, glaring at Pam.

Sookie felt Dr. Ludwig's small hand at her back, gently nudging her toward the dialysis machine. "I see," Sookie said quietly, though she did not see at all. "So how am supposed to know how she feels? How can I examine her, if she can't speak for herself?"

Pam smirked, as Eric slowly turned his head to the young doctor. "She feels better, thank you for asking," he said evenly.

"In that case," Sookie said, "tell her I said I'm very happy to hear that. Unless you've forbidden her to hear, as well."

"Sookie," Amy warned. While she admired Sookie for her principles and hard work, she doubted the silver-impregnated blanket would cover both the vampires in the room.

"And while you're at it," Sookie went on, "let her know it was my pleasure, researching and treating her illness, at a risk to both mine and Dr. Ludwig's safety." She angrily snapped on a pair of gloves and took some blood from the circuit. "I'll go run this myself, so you can both be on your way."

Amy wearily rubbed her face as Sookie fled from the room. She knew that within a matter of minutes, Sookie would be hunched over the lab table, sobbing over her rudeness, and probably the pain from her arm. "I'll just go ahead and apologize for her, Northman, since we're all talking for each other."

"Will she be back?"

Amy peered at the machine and laughed. "I sure hope so, because I have no idea how to turn this thing off."

Eric glared at her and rose from the bed. "I wish to speak with her."

"Will Sleeping Beauty here stay quiet?" Amy asked suspiciously.

"We'll find out," Eric quipped, quoting the doctor. He nodded to Pam and left.

Sookie stood at one of the lab sinks, drying her face as best she could with her left hand. Nothing had precipitated out of Pam's blood, but she was stalling her return to the bedside. She realized too late, that Eric was in the lab with her.

"How is your arm?" Eric asked, staring at the purple mark that covered most of Sookie's upper arm.

Truthfully it hurt, to the point she was going to ask Dr. Ludwig for narcotics. Sookie knew it would be days, until she could probably even sleep on it. "I'll ice it and elevate it when I get home."

Eric debated how to further approach her. He was unhappy with her misunderstanding of his handling of Pam, and even less pleased with how Sookie had spoken to him, though her sarcasm had truth in it. "On several occasions, I have had to exert that type of control over my Child. Once, when she was about to attack a small child..." He paused, as Sookie covered her mouth with her hand. "A few times, when she attempted to attack me."

"I'm sorry-"

"And once," he said, continuing over her, "when she threatened to rip the throat out of the bitch who had her stuck in a hospital bed-"

"Stop!" Sookie begged, her eyes welling up. "I'm sorry, I..." She shook her head helplessly. "I was completely out of line, and I've never spoken to a patient or their family like that, ever." It had bothered her, seeing another woman so controlled by a man, that she had seen red, and had spoken without thinking.

He knew she hadn't. No one snapped at Eric Northman, and that she had, was somehow appealing to him. "Pam will want to express her gratitude to you, but tonight is not the time. She is still...not herself."

Sookie nodded and wiped at her eyes. "Her blood's clear," she said, managing a small smile. "I'll take her off." She knew, by the way Eric continued to stare at her arm, that he was concerned, and that he had acted as he had with Pam, to protect Sookie, and Amy, from harm.

Eric silently followed Sookie back to Pam's room. Unable to use her right hand or arm, Sookie directed Dr. Ludwig in terminating the treatment, and removing the lines. Again, Eric was handed everything from the used circuit.

"Do you need blood?" Sookie asked both of them, unwilling to exclude Pam from the conversation.

"She has fed," Eric answered, turning to speak to Pam quietly. Without another word, Pam rose stiffly from the bed, nodding slightly to the doctors and waiting at her Maker's side. "Thank you again, Sookie," he said sincerely. "Dr. Ludwig."

Amy waved as the pair left the room and plopped onto the bed. "I'd like to say, we'll never have to do that again," she said.

"You don't think she's cured?" Sookie asked. "Do you think...maybe in her liver..." Would it matter to a vampire, to have traces of silver in organs that no longer served their purposes?

"You saved her life." It was something, under different circumstances, to be happy about, but Amy couldn't muster the feeling. She wondered, and worried over, what had just been brought into their lives.

Sookie didn't understand the sad look on her boss' face. "Wasn't I supposed to?"

"Maybe." There had been times, in Dr. Ludwig's long career, that she had questioned, if there were a point in winning the battle, just to lose the war. And she was never quite sure, where immortality fit in there.

"I guess there is something ironic, in prolonging the life of someone who is already dead, but will presumably live forever," Sookie said thoughtfully.

"You don't see them as dead, though, do you, sweetie?"

"Not at all," Sookie answered honestly. Though his heart no longer beat, Eric Northman, to Sookie, seemed full of life, as did his Child. "I mean, I know I've only met two of them."

"Don't worry," Amy said knowingly, patting Sookie's hand. "I think that's about to change."


	5. Chapter 5

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie slowly opened her eyes, to find the beautiful face of her cousin inches from her own. "Claudine!" she screeched, shrinking back against the couch.

"Hi, sweetie!" Claudine replied brightly. "Your door was open..."

Sookie let her head fall back and groaned in frustration. The pills Dr. Ludwig had given her were effective, but still, Sookie was having trouble finding a comfortable position for her injured arm.

Claudine gasped. "What happened?" she asked, moving around to the back of the couch to get a better look.

Sookie adjusted the now-melted bag of ice and sighed. "A patient sort of...kicked me."

"With what? A steel-toed boot?" Claudine grabbed the bag and went to refill it. "That job is too dangerous," she called from the kitchen. "Is this chicken?"

While it was unnecessary for her to eat human food, Claudine adored everything to be found in the human realm, and she was especially fond of her favorite cousin's cooking skills.

"Eat it," Sookie answered half-heartedly. The pills had left her sleepy, and she wondered when the last time was that she had anything to eat herself.

Claudine gracefully swept back into the room, balancing a plate and two glasses in one hand, and gently slipping a fresh ice pack onto Sookie's tender arm with the other. "This is for you, too," she said, handing Sookie one of the glasses.

"Thanks," Sookie said gratefully. She took a sip and watched, as Claudine perched the heaping plate on her lap and brushed her long hair back, so as not to drag it through her food. "Hungry?"

"Always!"

"You look pretty," Sookie commented.

Claudine glanced down at her dress and shrugged. "Going dancing," she mumbled through a mouth full of food.

Her cousin's visits were often like this one, though Sookie did on occasion see her, when Sookie visited her great-grandfather, who also happened to be Claudine's grandfather. It was an interesting lineage.

"So," Claudine said, pausing as if she were going to belch. "The reason I'm here..."

"You sensed I needed you?" Sookie asked, smiling. Her cousin took her appointed job as fairy godmother very seriously, and it was something Sookie usually didn't tease her about.

Claudine frowned. "Ha ha. No. There's something going on," she said mysteriously.

Sookie tried not to roll her eyes. "For Pete's sake, Claudine. Look around us, there's always something going on."

"Not us, you!" she said, pointing at Sookie. "Tomorrow...the next day...sometime soon."

Sookie was prepared to rudely interject something, but stopped herself at the pensive look on Claudine's face. "What is it?" she asked instead.

"Something I can't help you with," her cousin replied softly. "I don't know what it is, but you'll be on your own." She looked at Sookie for an explanation.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere, not that I know of." Sookie pointed to her arm and smiled. "I'll be stuck right here, I promise." She had been given the next few days off from work, Amy had insisted.

Claudine nodded as if she agreed, but she knew her senses were speaking truthfully to her. "Okay," she conceded. "Just be careful, promise?"

Sookie nodded and found herself slightly emotional over her cousin's concern. "I will."

It seemed to appease Claudine, whose wide smile returned. "Good!" She cleaned up her plate and glass, and leaned down to give Sookie a hug. "What else can I get you while I'm here?"

An hour later, Sookie was freshly bathed and dressed in clean pajamas. Claudine had even brushed and pulled Sookie's hair back for her, something she had found impossible to do with one arm and hand. "When's your date?" Sookie asked.

"Oh, I don't have a date, I'm just going dancing." It was very much like her, to do something just for the sake of doing it. "I'm sure someone will turn up," she said confidently, and Sookie laughed. Claudine need only be still for a few minutes, and men flocked to her. Sookie couldn't find fault, her cousin was stunning.

Once Claudine left, Sookie relaxed on the couch again. It was odd for her, to have nothing to do. Her schedule with Dr. Ludwig was erratic, and some nights, Sookie worked for herself, or her great-grandfather, testing ideas, or acting on whims. Dr. Ludwig had practiced for years without the techniques and ideas Sookie brought to the job, but Amy enjoyed that Sookie could provide the evidence, to back up a diagnosis. Sookie was somewhat of a shiny new toy, and she didn't mind.

Outside, the winds picked up, and Sookie was able to open a few windows, before settling herself on her balcony. Storm clouds filled the dark sky, from what she could see, but she could tell they would pass over too quickly to leave any rain on Shreveport. The smell was wonderful, and it was one of the many things she missed about her childhood home. Sookie had spent countless afternoons, sitting in the enclosed back porch of her grandmother's house, watching a storm roll through with the woman who had raised her.

She dozed for a while, until the vibration of her phone in her pajama pocket roused her. Her voice was hoarse, so she cleared her throat and attempted to answer it again. "Sorry, hello?"

"You are not at work."

Sookie couldn't hide her laughter at what had become Eric's phone greeting. "I was injured on the job," she joked. "I'm under doctor's orders to rest." It occurred to her, that she'd never been contacted by anyone outside of the hospital, and it amused her that Eric had no problem doing so. "Are you at the hospital?" she guessed.

"No." By the time Sookie glanced upward, he was already landing on her balcony. "I am at your apartment," he said, smirking. After a cursory glance at Sookie, Eric studied the french doors leading into her living room. He had, unbeknownst to her, already been to her front door, but Sookie had not responded to his knock. "The wards on your home are...impressive."

So much so, that Eric had almost hesitated to bring his hand to the wood of her front door. From outside, he was unable to hear or smell anything coming from within, prompting him to seek out the rear of Sookie's home, in hopes of finding a window. He knew now, though, he could only see inside because the doors were open. "Interesting," he mused quietly. Eric's small, but growing, urge to...look out for her was apparently shared.

Sookie debated teasing him, telling him that the wards had been left by the previous owners, but that would only put off the discussion they were bound to have, if Eric continued to insert himself into her life. "Do you recognize the magic?" she asked.

"I am not as intrigued by the type," he said, "as I am by the source."

Sookie laughed. "You are a piece of work."

"As are you." He lowered his tall frame into the chair across from her and stretched out his legs. "Are you unable to work?"

"I'll go back in a couple of days." Sookie knew she was past the worst of it, that the swelling and bruising would start healing. "It could have been much worse, so I'm grateful for that." Eric said nothing, but continued to stare at her. "Oh," Sookie suddenly exclaimed. "How's Pam?"

"She appears to have risen successfully and returned to work."

Sookie nodded thoughtfully. "That's wonderful," she said sincerely.

Eric chuckled and took out his phone. "I do not know that she shares your sentiment, but I will pass on your concern."

Sookie had never seen anyone's fingers move so quickly over a keypad. "Your clothes are wet," she observed.

"As are the clouds," he said distractedly, finishing his text and pocketing his phone. "I rarely go out in this weather. The electricity would not be a problem, but plummeting onto a tree while unconscious, would."

"Let me get you a towel," Sookie offered, slowly rising to her feet. "Here," she said, waving him to the open door. "Come inside."

"I will wait here." For the first time in his existence, Eric refused a human's invitation to enter her home, and also for the first time, Eric felt something akin to shame, that he had possibly insulted her.

"Okay," Sookie said easily. "I'll be right back." She wished she had more to offer than a towel, but Sookie had never had the occasion to buy synthetic blood. She returned to the balcony and handed it to him.

"You have many plants," Eric said, untying his long hair and covering with the towel.

"I minored in botany at school," Sookie replied. "Though Amy would have preferred animal husbandry. Lucky for me, that wasn't included in Tulane's medical program." Zoology had been, which Sookie still sometimes regretted not studying.

"Your invitation-"

Sookie held up her hand to stop him and smiled. "I'm not offended if you don't trust me, Eric. Really, I'm not."

He believed her, but it only frustrated him further. "What are you, Sookie?" Eric asked, using her name for the first time.

To most, the question would be considered rude. Not because it was intrusive, but because to each group in the supernatural community, it was deemed unnecessary and insulting, to have to explain one's genetic makeup. No group willingly lowered themselves to answer to another. A vampire was obviously a vampire, a Were was obviously aware, a fairy was...

"You're fae." It clicked into place for Eric, why Sookie came across to him the way she did. "Not a full-blooded one..." And judging by the life she led, and the things she was capable of, Eric ventured that she belonged to a powerful family, or at least, one that was very involved in her life.

Sookie was relieved. "You would have known, had you gone inside," she pointed out. "A relative of mine was here earlier, and that's why I asked you in," she said pointedly. "It's not something I hide." It was impossible to, as the great-granddaughter of Niall Brigant, fairy prince and unabashed attention seeker, a trait shared by all the fairies Sookie knew. For a long time they sat, and Sookie carefully watched Eric's impassive expression.

"Why did you agree to treat Pam?" he finally asked.

Sookie unexpectedly felt very tired, as well as sad. "Because you brought her in for treatment, and I was qualified and available to do so." She stood from her chair and picked up the towel Eric had draped over the railing. "That was my agenda."

It had been a long time, that anyone in the supernatural community had taken an interest in Sookie's heritage. Most disregarded it, many ignored it, and Sookie often thought that best. It figured that a vampire, who was probably old enough to personally know her great-grandfather, would be the one being, whom Sookie wanted to have an interest.

"I can let you out the front," she offered, hiking her thumb over her shoulder.

"You wish for me to leave?" Eric asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

Sookie wasn't sure what to say. "It's clear you don't trust me, and I can't blame you for that. On the contrary, the wisest thing you could do is walk away."

Eric laughed. "Turning one's back is never wise, Sookie. I am not concerned with trust as much as you believe." He was fascinated by her, not threatened. "You are the strangest creature I have ever met," he admitted. Abruptly he jumped up, startling her, and a card appeared in his outstretched hand. "I wish to invite you to my workplace. For a drink," he clarified, unsure, as he had never invited a human anywhere without the intention of having sex, or feeding. Not that he was opposed to doing either with her.

Sookie studied the card, recognizing the name of the vampire club printed on it. "You work at Fangtasia?"

"Have you been there?" He was sure she had not.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I've never been to any kind of...vampire...place." She imagined a room full of Erics, and not a single thought to be heard. "I think I'd like it," she said honestly, especially knowing he was not rejecting her outright after her admission.

Eric quelled the ridiculous excitement he felt at her acceptance. Pam had been relentless that evening in pestering him about Sookie, sensing, he suspected, a growing connection between him and the pretty doctor. She had even insincerely apologized for her recovery, regretting that Sookie and Eric could not have spent more time, hovering together over Pam's death bed.

"Then you will come."

"Sure." She wondered what one wore to a vampire club. "As soon as I can drive, I'll come by sometime."

Eric was not happy with the ambiguity of her plans, nor her timeframe. "No, tomorrow. I wish to see you tomorrow."

"I have plans tomorrow evening, Eric." Amy had invited her for supper, and Sookie had no intention of cancelling. She watched Eric's eyes narrow as his posture straightened. "Does the offer extend to the following night?" she asked, hoping to douse what she believed to be sparks of jealousy.

Eric contemplated asking with whom she had plans. "The following night, then. I will pick you up." He nodded, and without another word, leapt over the edge of her balcony.

Sookie shook her head and went inside. At one time, Sookie might have been concerned, or even offended by Eric's behavior. But Sookie realized, like the humans and fairies in her family, and like the other supernaturals she'd come to know outside of that, Eric Northman was, at the heart of things, a male.


	6. Chapter 6

The Fairy Doctor

"Amy?" Sookie called as she entered the darkened hallway. She gently closed the door behind her and took a deep breath to calm herself. It was always like that, the handful of times Sookie had been in the apartment above her own. While the layout of the place should have been, in theory, identical to Sookie's, there was nothing familiar about Amy Ludwig's home.

"In the kitchen," came a distant voice.

Sookie carefully made her way down the hall, careful not to touch or be touched by whatever hung from the ceiling and walls. It reminded her of the path that led to the witch's house in a child's fairy tale, and Sookie wondered if the resemblance were based on something out of the doctor's own childhood. She silenced a tiny scream, as she sidestepped something she was positive was slithering across the floor. Sometimes, back in her own place, Sookie would swear she could hear something, a pulse, as if the apartment above hers were alive.

She rushed through the last stretch of the hallway, bursting into the kitchen and squinting at the brightness. "Uncle?" she asked, confused, at the sight of the large man crammed into one of the undersized kitchen chairs. "I wasn't expecting you," she said, greeting him with a kiss on his round cheek.

Desmond Cataliades was not of Sookie's blood, but a long time ago, she began referring to him as Uncle, much to his happiness. "Sookie! An unexpected joy, I hope!" The large man's eyes sparkled as he winked at his favorite 'niece.'

"Are you here for supper?" Sookie asked. The room was oppressive with earthy smells, and damp with the steam that came from the pots on the stove. "Can I take your jacket?" she offered, gesturing to the black suit he always seemed to be wearing.

"I'm fine, sit, sit," he insisted, wiping the condensation from his brow. "Perhaps at some point, we'll get something to drink."

"Feel free to get a meal somewhere else, demon," Amy barked from the stool in front of the stove.

Desmond laughed loudly and elbowed Sookie. "How are you, my dear? I hear you've had some interesting patients as of late."

It was then that Sookie understood, why her uncle had been invited to supper. "Ah, yes," she said, smiling. Desmond Cataliades, among other things, was the official attorney representing the vampire Queen of Louisiana. He was also close, as close as a half-demon, half-human could be, to Niall Brigant. "It appears, dear Uncle, that we have a lot in common."

"Indeed, indeed," he said, nodding and wiping his face again. "Amy," he asked with mock annoyance, "do you really expect any of these herbs to dry?" The ceiling was covered in bundles, and he rolled his eyes, throwing up his hands.

"Tell you what, Des," Amy said, hopping from the stool and pretending to study the ceiling. "How about I pick you out something special to add to your stew. Give me a hand, Sookie, make it something memorable."

"Poisoning won't work," he reminded her.

"On half of you it will," she grumbled, returning to the stove.

"Speaking of which," he said, turning back to a giggling Sookie, "the Queen is not involved."

"Dammit, we haven't even eaten!" Amy protested.

Sookie was confused, her eyes bouncing between her boss and her uncle. "Involved?" She knew he was referring to her treatment of Pam in the hospital. "Do you think this was an intentional poisoning?"

"That's not what I said," he clarified. "However the silver came to be in Pam's system, it was not at the hands of the Queen."

"Nothing comes from the hands of the Queen, Des," Amy said sourly.

"True," he agreed.

"So if it turns out that the silver in Pam's system was put there intentionally, and not accidentally," Sookie started, measuring her words carefully, "you're saying, the Queen, and the vampires who work for her, were not responsible for it."

Desmond thought over Sookie's statement. "Yes."

"Does Sophie-Anne know about it?" Amy asked shrewdly.

"No. Not yet."

Sookie understood the implication. Eric had not told his Queen about Pam's illness, nor had Sookie's uncle. And until anyone in the vampire community knew of Sookie's cure for silver poisoning...

"You can go about your life, so to speak," Desmond said, finishing her thought. "How do you find your local Sheriff?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Ugh," Amy grunted, dropping three large bowls in front of them. "I don't want to lose my appetite!"

"Sheriff?" Sookie asked.

"Eric Northman, vampire Sheriff of Area 5," Desmond clarified.

Sookie didn't understand the title, but that was not what brought the blush to her face. "I like him," she admitted.

Desmond nodded into his stew, and Amy snickered. "He likes her, too," she cackled. "Here," she said, shoving a bowl toward Sookie. "Eat."

"He's very interesting," Desmond said, waving his spoon in the air. "His intelligence is what has kept him alive this long. I've never known him to make a wrong decision, because he is, without fail, smart enough to always make the right one."

Amy snorted into her bowl. "You're worse than a fairy, you know that?"

"He invited me to his club," Sookie admitted bashfully.

"When?" Amy asked sharply.

"Tonight, actually, but I told him I couldn't make it until tomorrow." She blew on whatever was steaming in her bowl, and ventured a taste. "It's good," she said, trying not to sound surprised. It resembled beef, but Sookie was sure it was not. Her phone went off in her pocket, and she took it out to silence it. No sooner had she placed it on the table, it went off again.

"Answer it," Amy ordered. "Bet I know who it is."

Sookie looked at the display and blushed again. "It's Eric. I can call him back."

"He'll keep calling," her uncle assured her, nudging the phone closer to her.

Sookie sighed and picked it up. "Eric?" She nodded and cleared her throat. "It's okay, I'm just having dinner."

Amy snickered, and Desmond shushed her.

"Is she okay?" Sookie asked worriedly. "Do you need Dr. Ludwig? She's right here with me." Sookie waved at Amy, as if the woman weren't sitting across from her, hanging on every word of the conversation. "Are you sure?" Sookie asked, frowning. "Okay," she said, nodding again. "Bye." She looked at her two dinner companions and shook her head. "I don't understand-"

"He was checking up on you."

"To see with whom you were dining," Desmond added.

"He's a smooth one," Amy cracked.

"Oh." Sookie thought it over, before picking up her phone again and calling him back. "Eric?" she asked, ignoring the stares from across the table. "I'm having dinner with Dr. Ludwig and a family member." She listened for a moment, occasionally nodding. "Did you use Pam as an excuse to call me?"

Amy choked on a piece of her stew, and Desmond was happy to assist her by smacking the small woman on the back.

"What are you doing this evening?" Sookie asked, absent-mindedly twirling the end of her ponytail as she listened. "Who's keeping you company?" she asked seriously. "I see. Tell her I look forward to seeing her again tomorrow, please...Okay...Goodbye."

"I think she'll be okay," Amy said, smirking at the demon.

"I think you may be right," he agreed, smiling proudly at his niece.

"Eric and I both have enough...stuff," Sookie said defensively, "that we shouldn't be dishonest with one another." She knew well, how manipulation and game-playing worked, and she had no desire to do that with someone like Eric. "I'd hope to respect him more than that," she added.

Desmond had finished his food and pushed the bowl away. "Excellent as always, Amy," he said, smiling in the direction of his old friend, who ignored him. He wiped his mouth and looked to Sookie. "Does Sheriff Northman know of your history?"

"That I'm part-fairy?" she asked, and he nodded. "I told him."

"Have you spoken with your great-grandfather?"

"Claudine came by yesterday, but, no, I haven't told any of them about him. Or anything." Sookie suddenly noticed the aching in her arm, and she found herself wanting to go back to her apartment to be alone. "I'm not worried. Niall always has a way of finding things out."

"You think you getting friendly with a vampire won't concern him?" Amy asked bluntly.

Sookie smiled. "I didn't say he wouldn't be concerned. But he'd never stop me from doing it." Understanding the way fairies thought, had never been a problem for her. "Would you mind if I called it a night? My arm's bothering me."

Amy waved her off, accepting a kiss on the cheek, and Desmond walked Sookie to the door, for which she was grateful. "You've stumbled onto something I'm afraid you can't avoid," he said seriously.

"I know."

"But you have a powerful protector in Sheriff Northman, and despite Amy's opinion, he's a very comparable match. I don't see your great-grandfather stopping you, either." Her uncle hugged her tightly before letting her go.

"Thanks," Sookie said, sniffing.

Her apartment was quiet, and more comforting than the one upstairs. Sookie found a pain pill and stretched out on her bed, staring at the phone in her head. She wanted to tell Eric what her uncle had said about the Queen, but most of all, she wanted to apologize for their stilted conversation earlier. She decided to send him a text.

'I heard something interesting tonight at dinner.'

It was several minutes until his reply. 'That sounds...interesting.'

Sookie laughed. 'My uncle assures me, what the filter caught, was not regal.' It was lacking, but Sookie's brain was becoming hazy.

Eric's reply was immediate. 'Who is your uncle?'

'Lawyer...'

She almost dropped her phone when it suddenly buzzed. "Hello?"

"This is not a conversation for the phone."

"I thought you would want to know-"

"We will discuss this tomorrow," he hissed. "I cannot-"

"Hey!" Sookie yelled, interrupting his rant. "You had no qualms about disturbing my evening, so please don't snap at me when there's actually something relevant to discuss." The line was silent for a time, and she assumed he had hung up. "Never mind," she whispered, shutting off her phone and dropping it beside her bed.

Twice she had spoken to Eric in what she considered a rude way, and twice she had not enjoyed it. She imagined what it would be like at his club, with a Sheriff in his environment. There was always a hierarchy, and always expected protocol to follow. None of it was foreign to Sookie, having spent time with her fairy kin, but as Claudine had pointed out, whatever was coming, Sookie was on her own.

She smiled, and burrowed deeper into her bedcovers. She wouldn't be alone, Claudine was wrong. Sookie would be with Eric.


	7. Chapter 7

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie's hands swiftly worked through the braids of her tiny neighbor. Every month or so, Amy would show up at Sookie's door, shove a thumb toward her head and stomp into Sookie's kitchen.

"When Tante did this," Amy mused, gazing out the large french doors to Sookie's balcony, "she'd give me candied ginger root to suck on. Didn't shut me up, but it did keep me still."

Sookie's fingers faltered ever so slightly, hot tears welling in her eyes. "I'll bet you were a handful," she ventured. Amy Ludwig had never shared, not once, a piece of her past. Her hair was the one tidy thing about her, and though she occasionally asked Sookie to fix it, there was no doubt that the appearance of it was important to her, and that she probably performed this ritual herself, daily.

"Not at all," Amy replied. "The sun rose and set on my Tante."

Sookie had to step back for fear of grabbing the woman and holding her, something she wasn't sure Amy would appreciate. It was enough that she occasionally came to Sookie, for something that was clearly comforting for her. "All done," Sookie said hoarsely.

Amy patted her hair and grunted in approval. Her style was usually a simple coronet, but sometimes Sookie would slip in a more complicated version, as she had this time. "What's the orchid doing out there?" Amy asked.

Sookie followed the woman's gaze to the balcony and frowned. "I have no idea."

Amy marched out to retrieve the plant and laughed. "Fairy Wand? He couldn't have come up with anything more original?"

"You think it's from Eric?" Sookie asked, eyeing the pretty flower. She would not have assumed as much, as items routinely 'appeared' in her life.

"Well, I didn't drop it onto your balcony." Amy heaved the pot to her other hip and walked to the front door. "I've got a good window for it. I'll bring it back in a bit," she promised.

"Hey-"

"You'll be fine, sweetie. He's thinking hard about you, and if he'd wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Amy said, waving over shoulder and slamming the door.

Fixing Amy's hair had taken up most of the hour Sookie had set aside to prepare for her evening, and she wondered if that hadn't been Amy's intention. She was grateful, in that it curbed her anxiety.

Fairies, as far as Sookie could tell, had no sense of fashion, as their inherent beauty far outshined whatever they wore. The Weres she knew, dressed, in her opinion, garishly, with the intention of attracting members of the opposite sex. Their tastes were status and sexually driven.

Sookie had no idea what would be expected by vampires, but she was comfortable in the dress she chose. Conservative, it hid her bruising with its three-quarter length sleeves, and kept her ample cleavage in check under a high neckline. It was black silk, with a deep red flower print woven throughout. Sookie felt her heels were reasonable, and that she wouldn't be thought of as over- or underdressed. It was the safest choice she could make, based on her limited experience. Though tight, the dress flattered her, and she waited in the lobby, occasionally checking her appearance in the mirrors there.

A sleek red convertible eased into her view, and Sookie laughed at what she assumed had to be Eric's car. Her face flushed as he unfolded himself from the low vehicle, and she wondered if that would always be her reaction to seeing him. She stayed in the lobby, knowing he expected to 'pick her up,' and would probably not appreciate finding her waiting on the sidewalk.

"Sookie," he said, taking in her appearance and smiling. "I have never seen your hair down, you look lovely." He reached for her hand while holding the door for her. "How is your arm?"

"Much better. It only hurts to touch it."

Eric frowned, helping her into the car. He arranged himself on his side and waited as she put on her seatbelt. "Is it...painful?"

"It's fine," Sookie assured him. "It'll look ugly for a while, but I'll recover." The swelling had dissipated, and she had almost full use of her arm. "It's good."

The ride to Fangtasia was so short, Sookie wondered that they didn't just walk there. "I drive by here all the time," she said, staring at the line of people waiting to go inside. "I just never looked."

Eric thought the same could be said in his regard to her and drove to the side of the building to park. "We will enter through the back."

Sookie nodded, and followed him to the rear entrance. Her hand remained in his as they passed by the vampire at the door, and she began to laugh almost as soon as they stepped inside.

"What?" Eric asked, staring down at her in the dark hallway.

"I don't know why I thought it would be quiet!" Sookie exclaimed. "For some reason, I pictured a room full of vampires!"

"That would be amusing?" Eric asked, smirking.

"No! That I didn't stop to think, the club would be full of humans, that's what's funny." Sookie composed herself and tugged on his hand. "Sorry, I'll behave."

"Do you wish to leave?" For some reason, he did not wish to disappoint her.

"What? No! Of course not." She would simply shield herself, and try to ignore the loud music that vibrated through her chest. She was eager to see him and the club he owned. "I came here to see you, not everyone else."

They reached the end of the hallway, which emptied into the main area of the club, behind the bar area. Eric stared at Sookie, in part over what she'd admitted, in part to gauge her reaction to his place of business.

"Wow," Sookie breathed. It was dark, and warm with bodies, and she could only imagine the thoughts that would bombard her, looking at the desperate and curious humans. There were a handful of vampires, each of whom, in turn, acknowledged their Sheriff. As did many of the humans, the women especially. "You are king of the castle," she whispered.

Sookie immediately recalled how she had talked to Eric, and of the many times she had touched him without giving it a thought. She had even raised her voice to him. Her hand slowly released his, and she unconsciously took a small step backward.

"Sookie?" Eric asked.

His tolerance of her, made no sense. She gestured to the hallway, and they retreated a few steps. "What am I to you?" she asked honestly.

Eric wasn't expecting the question, or the change in her body language. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not one of them," she said, looking to the bar. She knew the term, fang-bangers they were called.

"No, you are not," he agreed.

"So why am I here?" Why had he allowed her to treat him the way she had, which was obviously not the way he was accustomed to being treated?

"Are you questioning my motives?" It was true, he was hoping to speak with her about their ill-fated phone conversation from the previous night, and of how Sookie came to call the demon lawyer of his Queen, uncle. Eric also surprisingly found himself eager to hear her thoughts, on Pam's poisoning. "I wanted you to be here," he admitted. At his side, spending the evening with him. He wanted her, with him. There was little more to it than that.

Sookie studied his face carefully and decided he was telling her the truth. "It's not my blood?"

Her sudden line of questioning made sense to him, then, and he grinned, fighting the urge to lower his fangs. "I would gladly have your blood, but no, it is the...woman containing it, that holds my interest."

"Oh." Sookie's blush was deep, as if she'd never heard admiration from a man before. "I, uh...I like you, too."

A part of Eric wanted to laugh at the usually collected Dr. Stackhouse, and a part of him was unsatisfied with her sentiment. They turned simultaneously at the approach of another vampire.

"Dr. Stackhouse!" Pam exclaimed. She looked Sookie over and smiled slightly. "Wearing vintage Dior, who would have guessed?"

"Please, call me Sookie." Pam was beautiful, even in the semi-darkness, and Sookie realized she had not appreciated it in the hospital. "You both glow," Sookie mumbled, noticing the faint cast to both their faces.

"Interesting," Pam commented, turning to Eric. "Why are you keeping her in the hallway?"

Sookie lightly brushed Pam's arm out of habit. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Pam's eyebrow cocked at the contact. "Much better now, thank you."

"Pam."

Sookie's eyes shot to Eric's at the tone of his voice. She knew better, from experience, both with him and her great-grandfather, than to come to Pam's defense. Sookie was not offended by her, but Eric was. "So, how are the gin and tonics here?" she asked, ignoring the reprimand.

"Excellent," Pam assured her. "Come," she said, leading Sookie to the bar.

Eric's breath was cool and unexpected in Sookie's ear. "What is vintage Dior?" he asked, admiring the sway of her ass in front of him.

"No idea," she whispered.

"I can hear you," Pam said. "It is a dress worth several thousand dollars," she added, nodding to the vampire behind the bar.

Claudine had given it to her, claiming it perfect for Sookie's figure. Sookie now hoped she didn't spill anything on it. She took the drink Pam handed her and thanked her. Large signs were posted on the wall behind the bar, warning the vampires, Sookie assumed, against inappropriate and probably illegal behavior. There were no openly fae establishments such as Fangtasia for her kind, and she wondered what signs would be necessary. There probably weren't enough walls to hold them.

"Do they alarm you?" Pam asked, nodding at the warnings.

"Not at all," Sookie said honestly. "Some people have to be told how to act."

"But not you," Pam observed. "Why is that?" She was also curious, as to why Sookie seemed completely at ease.

Sookie shot a look at Eric, silently deferring to him. There was a power differential here, in his club, amongst his kind, with which Sookie was not completely comfortable. He could, she decided, choose how to approach her heritage with his Child.

Eric shook his head minutely, and Pam nodded. It was useless to hold any meaningful discussion in the open, so he gestured to the only empty booth across the room. "Take her," he instructed, and Sookie found herself led by Pam, while Eric stepped behind the bar with his phone.

"What do you think?" Pam asked, sitting opposite from Sookie.

"It's loud."

Pam glanced across the room, and the volume of the music immediately decreased.

"Wow, what if I said I wanted a cheeseburger?" Sookie joked, relieved that Pam laughed.

"I am sure, Eric would find one for you."

The two women sized each other up for a moment, before Pam spoke again. "I owe you a-"

"No," Sookie said, shaking her head. "We're not..." She didn't know how to explain, that were Pam a fairy, or even human, she would accept the debt. "I performed a service, not a favor. We're not kin." The look on Pam's face worried Sookie, that she'd offended her.

"You were injured," Pam protested.

"It was not outside what was to be expected," Sookie said, taking note of the narrowing of the vampire's eyes.

"What have you said?" Eric demanded, suddenly appearing next to the booth. He glared at Pam and slid in next to Sookie on her side. It was a gesture of protectiveness, and it was not lost on anyone at the table.

"She refuses-" Pam started.

"I can't accept her debt to me," Sookie said stubbornly. It was her right, it was how it worked, and she did not answer to vampires.

Eric was frustrated. "Enough." It had been a poor choice, having Sookie at his club, with so much to discuss and so much unknown between them.

"I'll go," Sookie said quickly. She felt it best, rather than offend her hosts, or whomever Pam and Eric felt they were. She tapped Eric on his thigh to let her out and smiled at Pam. "Thank you for the drink. I'm glad you're well."

"We will go," Eric announced, and both women looked at Eric in surprise. "We will go, and we will...talk." He was done, he decided, with these strange encounters, of leaving Sookie, of not knowing where they stood. He was finished with the indecision.

"Hey." Sookie smiled at his stern profile, but he wouldn't look at her. "We'll go."

"I'll stay here," Pam said dryly, winking at Sookie, who nodded, trying not to stumble as Eric dragged her away.

"Wait, can I just...wait!" Sookie needed the restroom, which Eric begrudgingly led her, parking himself outside the door.

In the stall next to her, she heard a deeply contented sigh, and she grimaced. A quick glance under the wall revealed only one pair of feet, so Sookie could not attribute the noise to sex, at least not between two people.

Sookie bit back a laugh and scurried to the sink, but not before the stall door opened, revealing a pale, thin woman, who smiled immediately at Sookie's reflection in the mirror. Without thinking, Sookie dropped her shields, regretting it instantly.

The woman recognized her, and hazy images of Sookie, sitting with Pam and Eric, flashed through Sookie's mind. "I saw you," she said dreamily. "You all looked so...pretty." She hummed over the sink, and brushed at something under her nose.

Sookie realized, the slow quality of her thoughts and movements, and the moan she'd heard earlier, were due to whatever drug she'd just snorted. And Eric was waiting right outside.

"You shouldn't do that junk, sweetie," Sookie said.

The woman laughed. "No shit. I'd lose my place at the clinic, if they found out." Panic loomed on her face as she gripped Sookie's wrist. "You won't tell them, will you?" she blurted.

It was a matter of time, before Eric barged through the door, Sookie was certain. "Wait, clinic?"

By now the tears were streaming down the woman's face, and it looked as if she would collapse. "I won't get back on, if they find out!" she wailed.

Sookie cleared her throat and peeked out the door. "I think she needs to leave," she whispered, and Eric nodded. He'd heard part of the conversation and had already instructed Pam to find out with whom the woman had come. A terrified-looking man appeared, dragged by Pam, and was shoved into the bathroom to retrieve his date.

"What did she-"

But Sookie waved Eric off, staring at the wall in front of her, struck by something the woman had said. She stepped aside, as Pam followed the couple out, hissing at them, and Sookie was certain the man had wet himself.

"Eric," Sookie said distractedly, reaching for him. "The silver..."

Pam returned, cursing under her breath and wiping her hands on her long black dress. "Unbelievable!"

"I know how-" Sookie started.

"Not here," Eric said. He herded both of them further down the corridor to an emergency exit, pushing them through it and outside the club.

"I know how they poisoned her," Sookie exclaimed. "I know how they poisoned you!"

Both Pam and Eric scanned the alley. "Explain."

"It wasn't heroin," Sookie said excitedly. "Did you wonder about it? If this were on purpose, how could you even...manage something like that? It's too imperfect, even if you could evenly distribute the silver in the heroin, there's no way to regulate its distribution, or its consumption. It would be such a waste of time and effort, not to mention, heroin's illegal, and certainly not controlled by one source."

"She makes no sense," Pam observed.

Eric ignored the comment. "But you found heroin." He followed Sookie's train of thought, but could not see how it connected to Pam's poisoning.

Sookie nodded. "I did find heroin. But that woman...she's an addict."

Pam sighed. "Is there a point-"

"Methadone!" Sookie yelled triumphantly, and both vampires looked to one another. "That woman! She was snorting something, and then I caught her, and she was scared, because she said she'd lose her place at the clinic. The methadone clinic!"

"But you found heroin," Eric repeated.

"Because I didn't test for methadone," Sookie countered. "It's a different test, but the reversal's the same." Sookie clapped her hands together. "It's perfect, really! Pam's donor that night was using both, I'm sure of it."

"I do not see the relevance. Why would there be silver in methadone?" Pam asked.

"Because it's an ingenious method of delivery!" Sookie said, as if anyone would find it as interesting as she did. "It's given out in measured doses, and it has a guaranteed distribution and consumption. You wouldn't even know you were drinking anything but the drug!" Sookie took a deep breath to calm herself, though she couldn't wait to tell Amy.

"You seem familiar with this," Pam offered.

"Methadone?" Sookie asked, confused. "Not really. There's a clinic here in Shreveport, I think it's the Behavioral Center, or something like that. I could look it up..."

"You know them?"

The growl from Eric made them both jump. "You would be fucking dead, if it were not for her!" he hissed, circling Pam to put himself between them.

Pam appeared chastised, but she wasn't finished. "And she's the only one with a cure..."

"You will not speak!" Eric roared. "Who runs the clinics, Pam? Does she? And how would she know, you would be the victim, and that I would bring you to her?"

"It's possible, I suppose," Sookie said calmly, thinking it over. She'd certainly seen more convoluted scenarios played out by fairies in her life. "But I didn't. Those clinics are federally regulated, by humans and for humans. I don't even know who works there, but it's where I'd start. If you thought this were intentional."

Some of Eric's anger let up, and he turned to her. "It is where we will start. But first, I will take you home."

It wasn't how she had hoped the evening to go, but Sookie was too excited having possibly solved a piece of a very strange puzzle, and she had still spent time with Eric. "I'm glad I came tonight," she said honestly, linking her arm in his. "It was a very interesting evening."

"I truly do not understand her," Pam huffed, retreating back into the club and slamming the door.

"Sorry," Sookie said quietly. Pam had a right to her suspicions, misplaced as they were.

"Do not be," Eric said, pulling her closer to him. "She does not need to understand you." Only he did.


	8. Chapter 8

The Fairy Doctor

It hadn't been as nerve wracking for Sookie, the times that Eric had unexpectedly shown up, as it was waiting for him in her apartment. He had walked her into the building, only to say he'd be back.

Twice she'd been to check the front door, when finally she opened the french doors onto her balcony and poured herself a drink of water in the kitchen.

"You have rescinded my invitation," came a voice from outside.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, trying to catch the liquid as it ran from her lips. "Rescinded your what?" She turned to see Eric, frowning where he stood on the balcony, looking around for something.

He glanced up at her. "I cannot enter," he said, raising a hand to the doorway.

"Oh." Sookie shook off her hands and moved toward him. "No one can, unless I invite them. Well, some people can." She extended a hand across the threshold and smiled up at him. "Please, come in."

Eric slowly moved through the doorway. "I will need an invitation each time?"

Sookie honestly didn't know. "Do you plan on coming back?" she asked, her smile growing wider.

He ignored her question, his eyes drawn to the photos hanging on one of the walls of the living room. "Who does not require one?" Eric asked.

"Only a few people." Sookie frowned at his back, as he studied the pictures. As far as she knew, only her fairy family and Amy Ludwig could enter at will. Eric was the first person, aside from them, she'd ever invited inside.

"Allow me to guess," Eric mused, pausing at one of the photos. "Your family, and your neighbor." His eyes flickered to the ceiling above him, and he waggled his eyebrows. Sookie nodded and swallowed. "The wards are fae magic?" he asked, and she nodded again. "Loved ones," he said quietly, returning to the wall.

"I never thought of that," she admitted. It was possible, she supposed.

"The man with you, in front of the truck-"

"Jason," Sookie said quickly. "My brother."

"He is alive?" Eric asked.

"And well," she snorted.

Eric turned to raise an eyebrow. "Is he like you?"

"You mean my head?" she asked, and he nodded. "No." Sookie sat down on her couch and stretched herself across it. "He still lives where we grew up."

Eric knew enough about fairies, to recognize the resemblance her brother held to one of Niall Brigant's sons. The likeness was too striking, and given that Sookie had confirmed her heritage... "Are you the granddaughter, or great-granddaughter?" Eric was banking on the latter, in that her scent was not that of fairy.

"Great-granddaughter," she replied softly.

Eric stood for a moment at the end of the couch, staring at her. "You are royalty."

Sookie shrugged and moved her feet so he could sit. "Let me get my tiara," she said dryly.

"You're great-grandfather is very powerful."

"And yet I sit here with you, with my feet in your lap."

Eric laughed and rested his arm on her legs. "True. I do admire your impertinence."

Sookie sighed and rubbed at her face. "I'm not improper, Eric. I've grown up with them-"

"I know," he assured her. He had seen, how well-versed Sookie was in the order of supernaturals and their behaviors. She was more accomplished and poised than most vampires he knew. "But you do not allow them to dictate your life."

Sookie adjusted her head on the couch pillow behind her to see him better. "Do you?"

Eric smirked. "Probably as much as you do."

"That's what I thought," she said, nudging him with her foot. "You look very nice tonight, I forgot to tell you." Sookie had only seen him in jeans, but tonight he had worn a collared shirt and suit jacket. She didn't know what to expect of vampires, but she was willing to bet, none were as handsome as Eric Northman.

Eric's brows were drawn together, and she wanted to ask him what he was thinking, which made her laugh. "What is funny?" he asked.

"For the first time, I wish I could read your mind. You look like you're thinking hard about something."

He had been. "When you stepped away from me, at the club," he started. "You..."

Sookie nodded. "I realized how important you are."

"Your behavior toward me changed. I did not like it." Eric had been running his hand over her legs, and he stopped. "I would not wish to have that..." His hand left her leg and waved in the air between them.

"You don't want to be my Sheriff?"

It was more than that. Eric didn't want to be anything with her, vampire or Sheriff, other than how she made him feel. "I wish to be myself."

For the second time that evening, tears welled in Sookie's eyes. "Yeah, I get that," she said hoarsely. She abruptly shifted herself, so that her head was where her feet had been, and wrapped an arm around his thigh. Sookie felt Eric's hands smoothing her hair, and she relaxed into his lap. "I'd prefer that we were both ourselves."

Eric's immediate concern, was how that would fit into his world. "What are your plans for your treatment?" he asked carefully. "For silver poisoning," he clarified.

Sookie was quiet for a length of time, though he knew she was awake. "Are you familiar with the use of forceps in childbirth?" she asked eventually.

"In concept."

She sighed, raising herself from his lap to settle next to him. "They're credited to a French physician who had moved his family to England in the 1500's."

Eric was vaguely familiar with the story and immediately understood why she had brought it up. "They were used by the royal family for generations in secret," he said.

"For other births, as well, but yes, exactly. In secret." Sookie looked up at him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm fine with secrets," she admitted. It would be hypocritical for either of them to pretend any differently. "I'm not fine with anyone needlessly dying." Had Sookie given it any forethought, she wouldn't have agreed to try it on Pam.

"I am less concerned with other vampires knowing of your cure, than I am with humans learning of it," he said seriously. "Vampires do not poison one another with silver." Instruments of torture and restraint made from the metal were commonplace, but Eric had never heard of, nor witnessed, an intentional poisoning by ingestion. Until Pam.

"I think humans are behind this, too," Sookie agreed, though a part of her brain was racing through the many supernaturals, who would enjoy the chance to take down a vampire. Eric's mind raced through the many humans, who would happily kill one of their own kind, who chose to save vampires.

"You said methadone clinics are federally regulated?" he asked.

"That's my understanding of it. They're regular clinics, but with special approval."

Eric was thoughtful. "So the employees are paid by the government?"

"Uh...no. I mean, I guess ultimately, the government contributes to their paychecks..."

If Sookie's belief were correct, that his Child had been poisoned by a human who had unwittingly consumed the silver with his or her prescribed dose of methadone, then any number of individuals could be responsible, including her kin. And while it was ironic, that she was the one who had found a cure, it also did not bode well for her safety. "Why do you think humans are behind this?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Well," Sookie said, drawing the word out. "Weres are too impatient, and I think this is too complicated and random for them." She wasn't implying they were not smart or clever enough, just that she would never describe them as covert.

Eric agreed. "They are much more openly confrontational." It had also been decades, that he could remember a physical altercation between vampires and shifters in his Area.

"And fairies?" Sookie went on. "This is a stretch, even for them. It might be interesting at the moment," she reasoned, "but what would be the point? If they wanted Pam dead, she'd be dead. Any vampire, for that matter. Why drag it out?"

"Fairies do not use torture?" he asked archly.

"You know they do," she replied, refusing to argue with him. "They also love to admire their handiwork, and as far as I can see, I'm the only fairy around. And we both know I didn't do it."

Eric did know, he believed it, even if Pam were having a hard time accepting and trusting the intrusion of Sookie into their lives. "Witches, demons?" he offered.

Sookie shrugged before shaking her head. "I don't see it."

Neither did Eric, but he enjoyed discussing it with her. It was far different from his usual conversations, as was the sensation of her warm body against his. "I do not talk this way...with humans," he said abruptly.

"No?" Sookie gazed at him, remembering the atmosphere of his club and the deferential attention he received from the vampires, and the open looks of desire he received from the humans. "I guess they're mostly after one thing," she said.

"Does that bother you?" he asked. It had crossed his mind, what she had 'heard' with her telepathy.

"What, sex?" she asked, laughing. "No, sex doesn't bother me." A sudden thought sobered her. "Are you...do vampires...?" Sookie wondered if he were married, or mated, or whatever the vampire term was for such a thing. She had no idea if vampires dated.

"Am I what?"

"Are you...attached to someone?" She looked at him anew, thinking it impossible that someone would not want to spend her life with him.

"No," Eric said, hiding his smile at her panicky voice. He would not be in her home, attempting to 'attach' himself to her, were he mated. "Are you?" Fairies were as promiscuous as vampires, as were humans. He had seen the male attention paid to Sookie everywhere she went.

She swallowed and shook her head, deciding how much to elaborate. "I'm single," she answered, safely, she thought.

Eric debated with himself, before saying something he'd never said, not since the night he'd been turned. "I do not wish you be attached to anyone else."

"Aside from you?" she clarified, wondering how she found her voice.

"No," he said firmly. He did not intend to share Sookie with anyone.

"What about you?"

"I am not interested in anyone else." Although he was certain, no one else like her existed.

Sookie's reply popped out of her mouth, before she could stop it. "For how long?"

Eric sat up, smiling. "Do you wish to discuss immortality?" Before she could answer, he gently pulled her onto his lap. Eric could see and sense her fatigue, and he had been aching to touch her the entire night. When she adjusted herself to him, her breath on his neck, he could not remember why he had hesitated.

"I'm too tired to contemplate it," she said, humming against his skin. "You smell like the wind."

"I flew," he said, chuckling.

"No, it's different," she insisted, burrowing further into him. Her voice and lips were at his ear, and he fought a growl.

He would fuck her where she sat, if he did not move her immediately. And he would sink more than his dick into her, if he were not careful. It was nearly five in the morning, and Eric had to leave. "I must go," he said gently, scooping her up and seeking out her bedroom.

Sookie yelped and clung to him. "Eric!"

"Another time, I promise," he said, laying her on the bed and surveying the room. "You may call my name out in your bed then." He watched as she smiled and stretched along the covers and forced himself to step back. "Do you work tomorrow night?" he asked, his hand wandering to adjust himself through his pants.

Sookie tried to focus in the darkness. "Um, I guess so." If Amy didn't need her, she would be there anyway. "Will you stop by?"

"I will. Sleep well," he said quietly, leaving the room. He heard her sleepy reply as he shut the french doors behind him, and he was satisfied, when they did not reopen.

Eric palmed himself roughly through his pants and tried to recall the last time he had been so aroused, or the last time he'd not relieved himself of it inside the body of another. He voted against jerking off over one of the many plants that lined the balcony and took to the air, unsure that he'd be able to even fly straight.

He was pleased, exceedingly so, that Sookie's apparent comfort with him extended to physical contact. She was as physically attracted to him, as he was to her, and he had yet to smell anything but arousal when they were together. Even when they sparred verbally, Sookie's body called to him.

Tomorrow night Eric would seek her out, as he'd done every night since they'd met. He no longer questioned it, or tried to rationalize it. His Child was cured, and in the process, Eric had found something he had never anticipated needing or wanting. And after their lengthy discussion, he was, he realized, another step closer to having her, as she already had him.


	9. Chapter 9

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie slowly pushed open the door, buried deep in the back of her lab, and smiled as the warm evening air wrapped around her. It was her favorite place, the terrace hidden in plain sight on the roof of the hospital, and the rain from earlier in the day was still evident on the thriving plants that choked the small space.

No sooner had she buried her fingers, then the door opened again. "I'm here," Sookie called, not bothering to look over her shoulder. A small shiver ran up the length of her spine, and she knew who had accompanied Dr. Ludwig.

"You have a visitor," Amy announced unnecessarily. "You know," she grumbled, "you're not supposed to be up here. She's not even supposed to be here."

"Perhaps I can persuade her to leave with me," Eric said, and Sookie could hear the smile in his voice.

"Do that," Amy huffed, stomping back into the building.

One of the metal chairs creaked behind her, and Sookie lost all sense of what she'd been doing to the plant in front of her. She sighed, realizing she'd get no work done, with Eric there.

"This is yours?" he asked.

Sookie laughed. "Mine. Amy's. My great-grandfather's." She stood finally and faced him, brushing her hands off. "Depends on who's asked me to grow something."

"You do this at night?" He watched as she removed her apron and rinsed her hands at the tap beside the door.

"I'm usually asleep during the day," she explained, studying him. Eric was slouched in the rickety chair, taking in the rooftop. His long hair was twisted at the nape of his neck, and he'd worn a faded sweater with an equally faded pair of jeans. In the dim light, he looked almost human. "You look so young," she marveled.

Eric's eyes snapped back to hers. "So do you." He had no complaint, however, with the t-shirt and shorts she'd chosen in which to do her gardening. He held his hand out to her, and she obliged by taking it and perching on his knee. "What is this?" he asked, nodding to the plants.

Sookie took in a large breath and blew it out slowly. "Well...lots of herbs...some trees...there's fungi and some cold frames in that shed over there."

"No flowers?"

Sookie snickered. "This isn't that type of garden. Most of the stuff here would kill you, if you weren't careful."

"These are for patients?" he pressed. "Though they are lethal?"

Sookie didn't mind his curiosity, but she questioned the necessity of Eric knowing for whom and for what the garden existed. "Depends on the patient. Amy'll use ergot or cohosh to stop a new mother from bleeding to death after delivery. Shifters tend to do that. Feed her too much, and yes, it would be lethal. Give it to her in the first trimester, and she'd abort."

"I see," Eric said, twirling the end of her ponytail around his long fingers. "It is none of my business."

"If you'd like me to grow you something, that could be your business," Sookie offered, smirking at him. She pointed to a delicate, spidery vine near the chair. "Niall challenged me to keep that alive. I have no idea what it's called, but it smells wonderful and has a way of insinuating itself into any pot near it. Typical fairy." Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "I forgot to thank you for the orchid!" Sookie leaned into him and quickly pressed a warm kiss onto Eric's cheek. "Thank you."

The blush of her cheek was too tempting, and he beckoned her back to place a kiss on hers. Eric paused for the briefest of seconds to enjoy the scent of her blood so close to her skin's surface. "You're welcome," he whispered. "Had I known you had all this..." he said, glancing around the terrace.

"No, no, it was lovely," she assured him. She eased from his lap and attempted to pull him to his feet. "We can go if you like. I brought clothes."

Eric reluctantly followed her back into the building and down to her lab. "Fangtasia is closed this evening, I do not have any plans," he called to her, as he wandered amongst the tables and pieces of equipment. None of it matched, and most of it appeared outdated.

"Oh?" Sookie's voice came from another small room, and Eric peered around the doorway in time to see her slide a dress over her head. He moved back to the tables and waited for her to appear. "Would you like to come back to my place?" she asked. Eric's eyes shot to the bruising on her arm, and Sookie grimaced. "It's ugly, isn't it?"

"There is nothing ugly about you."

Sookie smiled and shook her head. "I can only imagine, the women you've wooed over the years."

'Woo' was not the word Eric would have used, nor could he recall spending any time or effort, as he found himself wanting to with her. "Does it still hurt?" he asked as he wrapped his cool hand entirely around her upper arm.

"It's not bad."

He slid his hand down to take hers and tugged. "Come."

Once outside, Sookie looked for the red sports car, but didn't see it. "I didn't drive tonight, either, do you mind walking?"

Eric frowned. "You walk to the hospital?"

"It's like, ten minutes."

"You are injured," he argued.

Sookie looked up at him to see that he was serious. "That's why I didn't drive. It still...what?" He looked angry, and it was something she hadn't yet seen.

"Do you have a phone?" he asked. She nodded and fished it from her bag, handing it to him. A few seconds later his phone buzzed somewhere in his pockets, and he handed hers back. "Call me tomorrow, when you wish to return to work. I will drive you."

"Alright." She sensed what was behind his mood, and let it go for a few minutes as they walked. "It's not Pam's fault she kicked me," she ventured.

"She is in agreement with you," he said quietly. It was not his motive for seeing her safely to work or to her home. Eric was more concerned with any oxygen-breathing or non-breathing vermin who might cross her path.

Sookie stopped abruptly as they turned onto her block. "Can we stop in here? I didn't eat..."

Eric nodded and followed her into the brightly lit convenience store. He glared at the red-haired Were behind the counter who smiled at Sookie, and stepped in protectively behind her. When she stalled at the refrigerated cases, Eric was so close to her, he nearly shoved her against the glass.

"I don't have anything for you," she said, pointing to the rows of artificial blood for sale. "Which kind do you like?"

He wanted to say, the kind shaped like her, but he refrained. "They are all terrible, do not bother."

"Are you sure?" It bothered her not to be able to offer him anything, but she didn't want to force him, either.

"Quite."

Sookie hid her smile and quickly gathered the items she needed before heading to the register. "Thomas," she said, acknowledging the young man waiting there. "This is Eric Northman." Before Eric could raise his eyebrow, Sookie went on. "Thomas works with Dr. Ludwig sometimes," she said, smiling warmly at him.

Eric wordlessly placed some money on the counter and picked up the bagged groceries for her. He nodded slightly to the Were as Sookie happily waved goodbye.

"His mom owns the bar," she said, pointing across the street. "And Thomas and his older brother drive Amy to her house calls." They came to her building and went inside.

"I am familiar with the family," Eric acknowledged, though he appreciated her effort to explain her connection to them, and that her introduction to Thomas was done with deference to Eric, and not the younger Were.

"Oh," Sookie said, opening the door to her apartment. "Good." She invited him in and took one of the bags.

Eric watched, as she moved about her kitchen, chatting randomly with him as she prepared her meal. He was surprised, that he didn't mind sharing the mundane tasks of her life. Were he at home, he would be working, or fielding useless texts from Pam. He realized he would have stayed at the hospital with her, or continued walking through the city, if she wished.

A flash of his long-dead human wife came to Eric's mind, no doubt stirred by the scene of domesticity in front of him. She had been married to his older brother, and only came to be Eric's upon his brother's death. While she had been a good woman, and a good wife to him, she did not compare to the woman in front of him. Not only in attributes, but in the way Eric felt.

"Sookie," he said somewhat hoarsely. He needed her to come to him, and to be still.

Sookie brushed the crumbs from her plate and placed it in the sink. She wondered if the night hadn't been too much for him, to be so immersed in the human world outside his own control, that she went to him and laid her head against his chest, circling her arms around him. "It's okay if you have to go," she mumbled into his sweater.

If he left, he would be taking her with him. "There is nowhere to go," he admitted. Eric was at a self-imposed impasse, faced with the choice of taking what he wanted, or allowing someone else to make the choice for him. Though it would be to her, that he would leave the choice.

His sad tone surprised her. "It's not that bleak," she said, pulling back to look up at him.

"What do you mean?" Eric found it difficult to believe, that they were discussing the same thing.

Sookie dragged him with her to the couch, and they sat. "What worries you the most, Eric?"

"Regarding?"

"You and me. Spending time together."

Eric smirked at the euphemism, though she probably did not mean it as one. "Your telepathy," he said quietly, and Sookie nodded. "What is yours?" He expected to hear about some aspect of his vampirism, possibly regarding blood, or his immortality.

"Nothing, really."

Eric stared hard at her. "Nothing?"

She cocked her head, staring ahead of herself, as if trying to think of something. "Oh! You do seem to have a bit of a temper..."

"Were we to... 'spend time together,' you would be most concerned about my temper?" he clarified, his tone incredulous.

"I don't like getting yelled at," she said matter-of-factly. "What bothers you so much about my telepathy?" Though it was uncommon, Sookie had never been singled out for it growing up. And once she'd learned to control it, it rarely posed a problem. Her family had seen to that. "I can't even use it on you."

Eric was skeptical. "You surely understand what is open to you, by reading minds."

Sookie blinked at him. "Surely you understand, I'm not stupid."

Eric's laughter was loud, and eventually she joined in. "I would never call you stupid. Charmingly naive, perhaps." And she was disarmingly perceptive.

Sookie had begun shaking her head before he finished speaking. "No, I know what I could do. I know how I could use it...or better yet, who'd like to use it." She realized then, where Eric had been going with his comments. "It's mine, Eric. I'm not afraid of it."

"I know of many who would take it." He knew of many who would take her.

"Listen," Sookie said seriously, clasping his hand in hers. "I want to do this with you. And I'd like to help you figure this thing out with Pam. But for everyone else, my head's off-limits."

Eric contemplated what she'd said. Whereas he, or Pam, or any other vampire, could force or torture a human to give him the information he needed, Sookie could gather it with much less effort. "You will be compensated for your participation," he offered, remembering how Sookie viewed favors.

"Is that how you prefer to handle it?"

Eric nodded. "Pam will have to know of your telepathy," he warned. "Though she will not speak of it."

"I'm fine with that." Sookie squeezed his hand, and climbed onto his lap. "See, it's not so bleak."

"No," he agreed. "It is not." Her neck was level with his mouth, and he leaned in to run his nose along it. "You are very persuasive."

"I love hearing your voice, rather than your head," she said breathlessly, as Eric's tongue found the skin beneath her ear. When she moaned, his fangs dropped, and she jerked back. "Let me see!" she said excitedly.

Eric relaxed, while she peered at his teeth, before willing them back into his gums. "I will bring them out again, I promise." He was hard, thinking about it. The look of admiration and want on her face was too much.

She smiled, her eyes focused on his lips, as she gently placed hers there. It was sweet and soft, like her, and Eric didn't mind the slow pace of it. Sookie pulled back to breathe his name, before taking his mouth again, this time with more force.

Eric dragged her closer to him, settling her squarely on his lap. He wanted to touch her between her legs, but settled for the curve of her ass under her dress. "Sookie..." She stirred things in him that he wasn't accustomed to feeling, and it only drove him closer to her.

Without thinking, he brought his thumb to his mouth, and lowered his fangs again. He wanted it, his blood in her, before he fucked her, and he felt the sharp point begin to pierce his skin.

Sookie opened her eyes and smiled, confused. "You okay?" she asked gently. She moved her mouth to his cheek, and then his neck, oblivious to his sudden turmoil.

"Stop."

"Hmm?" she asked, her voice muffled.

Eric carefully but purposefully removed her from his lap and stood, quickly distancing himself from the couch by several feet. "I cannot..."

Sookie nodded, alarmed by the look on his face. "Okay," she said quickly.

"No, it is not...I want..." He couldn't fathom what had gotten into him, to offer himself as he was about to. He glared at her apartment, wondering if the magic around it had somehow affected his judgement, though he had to admit, his mind was no less clouded by her, even though they were apart. "I will go."

Sookie nodded, but she had no idea what had happened to change his mood. "Alright, just let me..." She reached down to slip on her shoes. "I'll walk you out."

But by the time she stood and turned, he was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

The Fairy Doctor

"Tell me why we're here again," Claudine asked, as she pushed her seat back as far as it would go so as to stretch out her long legs. She was sipping loudly from the milkshake Sookie had bought her, as payment for her participation in the impromptu stake out.

"I'm helping a friend of mine," Sookie answered vaguely.

Claudine adjusted her sunglasses and squinted at the sign in front of them. "With what?" she asked. "Does your 'friend' need a ride home from the Behavioral Center?"

"No." In truth, Sookie was as unsure of her reason for being at the clinic as her cousin. Much to Sookie's surprise, there were several places in Shreveport that provided opioid addiction treatment, and the squat brown building was only one of them. She drummed her fingers on her arm rest, deciding what to do.

"I have to be at work in a few hours," Claudine reminded her.

Sookie sighed and patted her cousin's knee. "I know. Thanks for coming with me."

"Are we leaving?"

"I guess so." She stared at the couple walking inside, casting out for anything helpful, and laughed. "Depression," she said, glancing at Claudine's confused face.

"Who, you?" Claudine asked, concerned.

"No!" She pointed to the steps of the building. "The woman...never mind." Sookie shook her head and started the car.

Claudine suddenly gasped and clucked her tongue. "Now what is that fool doing? Look at him!"

Across the four lane highway separating the clinic from a small shopping mall, was a man, tempting fate by darting across the busy lanes. "He's coming here," Sookie said, trying to piece together his jumpy thoughts.

"What's he got in his hands?" Claudine wondered.

"Flyers?" Sookie guessed. They both watched as he methodically folded and placed a piece of paper under the windshield wiper blade of each parked car in the lot of the clinic. So intent in his work, he almost missed the two women staring at him through the windshield of Sookie's car.

"Hey, there!" Claudine said brightly, causing him to jump.

The young man quickly regained his composure and leaned toward the pretty fairy's window. "Well, hey, there yourself!" he replied. He playfully slid a paper over the edge of her car door and smiled. "Y'all have an appointment this afternoon?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"We're just waiting on someone," Claudine replied. "What's this?" She barely glanced at the paper before handing it over to her cousin and beaming at the man.

"It's an advertisement for a club," he said smoothly.

Sookie froze as she stared at the flyer. "Where'd you get this?" she asked loudly.

Her question startled him, and he began to back away from the car. "Just spreading the word."

"Wait...wait!" Sookie quickly put on her best smile and stretched over to the window, shoving a protesting Claudine out of her way. The man hesitated. "Will you be there?" Sookie asked hopefully. His thoughts, which had been filled with the desire to run, slowly turned to relief, and then disgust. Sookie hoped her expression didn't match the anger welling inside of her.

"I don't know," he said playfully. "Will you?" He gave her a playful wink and scurried back toward the traffic.

Sookie cursed under her breath and put the car into gear. "Where did he come from?" she asked distractedly. With no traffic light, she'd be unable to follow him across the busy lanes. "Damn!" she cursed, smacking the steering wheel.

Claudine, who had picked up the discarded flyer to look at it, cleared her throat. "Fangtasia?" she asked, staring at her cousin. "You want to meet that man at Fangtasia?" Claudine was aware of the vampire club. She'd even come across the owner a time or two.

"What? No!" She wasn't ready to discuss her new...connection to the world of vampires, and she was certain it wouldn't take Claudine long to figure it out. "I'll drop you at your car," Sookie said, resigned.

Claudine studied her cousin as they rode, feeling her out. When she decided there was nothing amiss that she could sense, she threw her arms around Sookie and kissed her cheek. "You feel okay," Claudine declared.

"Oh. Good." Sookie parked in the lot near her apartment and walked her cousin to her car. "Thanks again for going with me."

"Anytime," she said, waving her off. "When you're ready, let me know what's going on!"

Sookie laughed and watched Claudine drive away. The sun was warm, and she tilted her face up toward it. It felt as if some days, she rarely saw it, so she decided to spend some time on her balcony, before contacting Eric.

The previous night had been confusing, as well as disappointing. It hadn't been long after Eric disappeared, that he sent Sookie a text, apologizing for leaving so abruptly, and wishing her pleasant dreams. She returned the sentiment and promised to call him the next evening, if she planned on returning to work.

But she hadn't had pleasant dreams, which resulted in her waking up far earlier than she usually did, and, having nothing to do, calling up her cousin to scope out methadone clinics. If she hadn't been so unexpectedly successful, she would have smacked herself in the back of the head for her foolishness.

Sookie studied the flyer and frowned. She tried to imagine how Eric would feel, when he saw it, and learned of its origin. She laid back on her lounger, and swore her eyes had just closed, when her phone jolted her awake.

"Eric?" Sookie glanced around her balcony, confused. "The sun's still out."

"Not for much longer. Do you require a ride to the hospital?"

She blew out a breath and tried to get her bearings. "Um...no. I was hoping you could stop by." She wasn't sure of the level of privacy his club offered, or if Eric even discussed his private affairs there.

"I do not anticipate being able to leave the club tonight."

He was being difficult, or it seemed that way to her. She realized he didn't know why she needed to see him, but it was frustrating. "Okay. Well, is possible to speak with you privately there?"

"Regarding?"

"Private matters, Eric. I realize phones are not...practical." It occurred to her, that they were talking around two different subjects. "It's regarding Pam," she said finally.

"I will call you back," he said, ending the conversation.

Within the hour, Sookie had showered and dressed, and still Eric had not called. When another passed, she sent him a text, but did not receive a reply. Fifteen minutes later, she was waiting in line at the front door of Fangtasia.

By the time Sookie made it inside, she was tired of the endless, vapid mind-chatter of the humans around her, and tired of vampires, in general. She wedged herself in at the bar and ordered a drink, downing half of it with the first swallow.

"Don't you look pretty?" a female voice cooed in her ear. "Making a house call?"

Sookie laughed and turned to face Pam. "Why, is somebody sick?"

"I'm not sure," Pam answered, smirking. "Is having a stick up one's ass considered an illness?"

Sookie shook her head. "He is moody, isn't he?"

"Usually, no." She motioned for Sookie to take her drink, and led her behind the bar, down the hallway to Eric's office. Pam opened the door and guided Sookie inside.

Eric, who did not seem surprised by Sookie's appearance, gestured for her to take a seat. Instead, she removed the flyer from her bag and handed it to him. He studied it for a minute, his face impassive. "Where did you get this?" he asked, motioning for Pam to read it.

"I have seen a few of these," Pam remarked, handing it back to Sookie.

"It was placed on my car-"

"Those coupons are not valid," Pam said haughtily. "Not that you need pay for your drinks."

"This is what you wished to discuss privately?" Eric asked.

Sookie was disappointed with them. "I'd like for you to both listen to me," she said quietly, and simultaneously, Eric and Pam gave her their attentions, eyebrows cocked. "In the parking lot of the Behavioral Center, a gentleman was placing those on the windshields of every car."

Pam glanced at Eric. "We have not authorized anyone-"

"Continue," Eric said, interrupting her.

"No, he wasn't working for you," Sookie agreed.

"I do not understand," Pam said.

"The Behavioral Center has a methadone clinic. Addicts go in," Sookie explained, "and when they come out...look, there's even free drinks." She waved the flyer in her hand before dropping it onto Eric's desk. "That is what I wished to discuss with you privately."

Eric's voice stopped her before she reached the door. "Why were you there?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep well," she replied, leaving the office before she said anything she'd regret. Much to her surprise, she found vampires ruder than fairies. Perhaps she had become too accustomed to fairy charm and beauty, but she found Eric's and Pam's behavior offensive. A part of her was ashamed to admit, she was not used to being treated like a human.

When she found Eric waiting for her by her car, she considered taking off on foot to avoid any further confrontation. While Sookie had accused him of having a temper, hers was possibly as big. "Eric," she started, searching for her car keys, "the Southerner in me, expected a thank you. And the woman in me, expected a bit more serious attention. But the parts of me offended the most, are the decent and kind ones."

"Thank-"

"Just who do you all think you are?" she asked incredulously. "At least my great-grandfather knows how ridiculous he is! Even though he could, at any time, destroy any of us." Eric's eyes flashed, but she went on. "This is what you wished to show me?" she asked, mimicking the way Eric had questioned her. "You know what, Eric Northman, you can shove that flyer right up-"

"Enough," he said, covering her mouth. "I have heard you." He nodded until she did and removed his hand.

"Good. Because if you require anything else from me, you can ask. Until then..." Sookie quickly climbed into her car and lowered her window. "Sorry," she said sincerely. "I shouldn't have been so rude...sorry."

Eric watched as she drove away, before re-entering the club. Pam had remained in his office, pacing. "She left."

"Did you ask her to do this?"

Eric shook his head. "No. She did this on her own. To help."

"How does she know so much? How did she even come to work for that troll doctor?" Pam demanded.

There had not been time to discuss Sookie with his Child, as Eric had spent most of his trying to understand Sookie himself. "Sookie is the great-granddaughter of Niall Brigant," he started. "She has the gift of telepathy, her uncle is the demon lawyer of the vampire Queen of Louisiana, and she has spent her life amongst supernaturals." He reviewed the statement in his head, to be sure he had recounted it correctly.

"She discovered a cure for silver poisoning," he went on. "She saved your life, and she is much closer to figuring out who is responsible for your poisoning than we are." Eric snickered at the look of astonishment on Pam's usually composed face. "And she told me I could shove this piece of paper up my ass, as I apparently need to learn some manners." He crumpled the flyer and threw it at Pam, who caught it. "She is, I believe, angry with me, and not you." Despite his abrupt abandonment of her the night before, Sookie had come to him, because she felt it the right thing to do. She was not a vampire, yet she had extended herself to help him. And he had failed to appreciate it.

"Her telepathy does not bother you?" Pam asked.

"It does," he admitted. "Though she cannot read vampires."

"Would she consider working here?"

"I believe you will have to ask," Eric said, taking his jacket from the back of his chair.

"You are going to see her, you ask," Pam suggested.

Eric ignored the suggestion and left through the rear door, taking to the air. He had flown more recently, in his haste to get to her, than he could recall in recent years. Much of their conversations that evening had bothered him, but It was her comment, about her being decent and kind, that weighed on him. Vampires were neither decent nor kind, though Eric was better than most. But what Sookie had meant, was that if she were capable of it, so was he. No one had ever expected it of him, and for the first time, he found himself considering trying it, for her.


	11. Chapter 11

The Fairy Doctor

It was probably not for the best, that Amy had chosen to return Eric's orchid while Sookie was gone. As it was centered on the sill above the kitchen sink, Sookie had no choice but to glare at it while she washed her hands. Were it not in such an expensive-looking pot, she would have dumped it into the trashcan, then and there.

In the midst of making a cup of tea, she was surprised by the presence of a void somewhere outside her apartment, and she contemplated ignoring it. Eric would not have been able to see Sookie through the windows, but she found it difficult to be so openly rude. When it settled on her balcony, she went to the french doors and flung them open.

"I thought you didn't anticipate being able to leave Fangtasia tonight?" she asked calmly, folding her arms across her chest.

The barest of smirks crossed Eric's lips. "Because I did not anticipate it, does not mean that I am unwilling to accommodate an unexpected change of plans." He had not taken notice of Sookie's appearance earlier in the evening, and decided to do so. "You look lovely." Sookie's shoulders and neck were mostly bare, as were her arms, and the bold red and white pattern of her dress was flattering to her light hair. He refrained, however, from mentioning the pleasing way her bent arms framed her breasts.

"Thank you."

Eric swallowed his chuckle and pushed himself from the railing. "Since you have requested that I ask what I require from now on, may I come in?" When she hesitated, he added, "If you wish me to leave, simply rescind your invitation."

Sookie raised her eyebrow and stepped to the side. "Sure. Come on in." She briefly considered rescinding the offer the second he stepped inside and mentally chastised herself for being childish. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer you..."

"I am not thirsty, thank you." He stood by the couch, waiting.

"For Pete's sake," Sookie huffed. "Have a seat." They seemed to have returned to the formality of that first night in the hospital, and she didn't like it. Nor did she like, that she didn't like it.

Eric sat, dragging his hands through his long hair and knotting it at the base of his head. He felt unprepared for way he was about to approach her, but he was willing to take the risk. "I would like to discuss your...thoughts on what you discovered this afternoon."

"My thoughts?" she asked, frowning. "Someone's slipping colloidal silver into methadone and feeding it to addicts, who are then being enticed to a vampire bar, in hopes of poisoning any vampire who feeds from them. Do you mean, how do I feel about that?" Sookie's eyes were wide. "I'd say I don't like it."

"Your premise, is that someone working inside the facility is knowingly combining the silver with the drug?" Eric clarified, and she nodded. "The drug is then being distributed, and when the recipient leaves, he or she finds an advertisement for the club. Do you not think it implausible, that such a person would be duped into coming to Fangtasia?"

Sookie was thoughtful for a moment. It was one of the things he admired about her, her ability to discuss the matter at hand, if it were asked of her or not. "I don't know anyone addicted to heroin," she admitted. "The flyer offered free drinks, though. I think alcohol's always a draw." She thought over his question. "Implausible? No. I think it's really disturbing, though. Whomever's doing this, has no regard for addicts or vampires."

"And you find that unacceptable?" Eric asked.

"Of course, I do. It disgusts the doctor in me, and the person." They were both silent for a time.

"Your part in this has been invaluable," he said quietly.

"I was happy to help." Sookie's voice was thick, and she found herself blinking back tears. "And even if the addict doesn't come into Fangtasia, it still leaves a whole population out there with silver circulating through their blood." She shrugged. "Do you guys ever pay for donors? Has anyone ever offered themselves to you because they needed something?"

She made an excellent point, one that he had not considered. "How many clinics did you find?" he asked.

"There are at least three here in town. Are you wondering if this is just a local thing?"

Eric nodded. "It leads us to another thing we must discuss."

"Am I willing to treat other vampires?" Sookie guessed, ignoring the way her stomach dropped.

"I believe that you will," he said firmly. He knew that she would. "What I wish to know..." Eric smiled, correcting himself. "What I need to ask...do you wish to do this on your own?"

Sookie was confused. "As opposed to...?"

"Would you prefer to approach this on your own, as you did the night I brought Pam to you, or would you prefer...my help?" The thought of Sookie, at the mercy of other vampires, did something inside his chest.

"You think I'll need it?" she asked.

This would have normally been the point, at which Eric would not have disclosed his thoughts to her. He was, above all else, a vampire. But the strength of his feelings and want for her were compelling him to put her safety above his own. "I do."

"Why?" she asked automatically.

The question did not surprise him, and once again he stifled his laughter, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "It is a matter of time, before you are discovered."

"But if I'm at risk, that'll put you at risk," she reasoned.

"I am aware of that."

"Eric," she whispered, the tears starting to run down her cheeks. "I can't ask that of you."

He held out his hand to her and his expression softened. "You are not. I am asking it of you."

Sookie slowly rose from her chair and approached the couch. "You understand, my family is insane," she started, letting him pull her onto his lap.

"As you understand, I am a vampire."

She shifted on his lap and laughed into his neck. "It's hard to ignore."

Eric noted the relief he felt, not being at odds with her, and he wondered how it would feel, were they bonded. The thought was not as unsettling as it had been, when his body reacted to hers by offering itself through his blood. "There is still much to discuss," he said.

Sookie pulled back to look at him. "I'd like to wait until someone...turns up, as opposed to putting out the word that there's a cure for silver poisoning," she said seriously. "And they're gonna have to come to me." She'd have to talk to Amy soon, she realized. "We might not even be able to do this at the hospital. It's probably a good idea to do it somewhere else..."

"We will decide when the time comes, yes?" he asked, wishing to stop her escalating concern. "Understand, that what you are capable of doing, is a specific commodity that vampires need. It is not like your telepathy, which has a much broader appeal." Eric watched to see that she was following him and not taking offense. "Silver poisoning is rare. It is lethal. If there is a cure, it will be a highly protected...resource. As long as it is available, it will be respected."

"It's not like you could keep me locked in a room, waiting for someone to be poisoned."

"I am not so sure," he said dryly, imagining his Queen happily doing just that. "But it would be impractical and pointless, and the cure would wither away with you."

Sookie leaned against him and sighed. "Niall would never accept anything happening to me."

"I agree, but some may need reminding of that. Your heritage offers you more protection than I can," he admitted. Though the chance was significant, that Sookie would be killed before her great-grandfather could react.

"He'd wipe you all out," she whispered. "Eric-"

He knew where she was going with it. "It will not come to that."

"You can't-"

"I can," he said firmly, hoping to end the discussion.

"You're very bossy," she observed, leaning back as he gently readjusted her legs so that they were on either side of his lap.

"I am," he agreed. He pulled her closer, until she was flush against him. "And you are very warm." Eric was content to remain there, reaching his hands around to her backside to hold her tightly in place.

Sookie's chest was too tempting, and he began to lick along the neckline of her dress with his cool tongue. "Eric?" she asked, distracted by his mouth on her skin. "When you left last night..."

"Hm?" He pulled at the strap of her dress, as it was obstructing his access to her breasts.

"Did you...were you about to...bite me?" He was hard between her legs, and she wondered how easy it would be to sneak her hand under her dress to undo his pants.

"No," he admitted. "I will always wish to bite you." The strap suddenly broke free, and he eased the front of her dress down with each pass of his mouth. He begrudgingly relinquished his grasp on her ass with one of his hands to cup her breast. "Lover?" he asked, vaguely remembering to voice his request.

Sookie gently pushed his head against her, moaning as he sucked her into his mouth. "Why did you leave?"

Eric wondered why they were talking. He released her nipple and pulled the rest of her dress down. He liked what he saw, as he knew he would. "I wanted to be inside you." Sookie had begun to rub herself against him, and he lifted the hem of her dress to watch. "My blood...I wanted to give it to you."

Sookie's hips stopped moving, and he frowned. "Isn't that what vampires do?" she asked.

"No." Eric shifted his hips back to slip his hand between them. His fingers expertly found their way beneath her underwear and she gasped. "We take blood," he explained. He was teasing her, he knew. "Let me, lover," he whispered, caressing her, and she nodded. "We do not give it," he explained.

Slowly, he worked his long fingers into her, watching her expression. She was magnificent, and his fangs ached to bite every part of her. Sookie caught sight of them and immediately brought her mouth to his. He felt her tongue on one of them and sped up the thrusting of his fingers.

"Come," Eric begged. He wanted her to, almost as much as he wanted to taste it in her.

"You don't want my blood?" she asked breathlessly.

"Another time," he promised. He'd take it, while he was taking her, and she would beg him to. "When I fuck you," he whispered into her ear, pulling her hard by her hips onto his hand as she finally came.

"Jesus...Eric..." she panted. "We...I..."

Eric threw back his head and laughed. "Finally, you are speechless."

Sookie groaned when he pulled his hand from her, her hips trying to follow his fingers. "No!" she complained.

"More?" he asked, happy to oblige, as she nodded and raised herself on her knees. "Are you certain?" Eric asked, though he'd already undone his pants under her dress and was stroking himself.

"Are you?" she asked, lowering herself slowly onto the tip of his erection. "We could wait," she offered, smiling as she slid down his length, sighing deeply as she went. "Hmm, Eric, tell me...talk to me."

He growled and jerked up into her. "Tell you what?" he asked. "That I wanted to take off your clothes the first night we met and put my mouth between your legs?"

Sookie found a rhythm with her hips, fighting his, as if on purpose. "What else?"

"Be still," he demanded, standing up with her and making his way to her kitchen table. Eric lowered her onto it, caging her with his arms to look down into her face. "Should I tell you, how I wanted to fuck you against the glass when that boy smiled at you?"

Sookie tried to reach his mouth with hers. "You could have..."

Eric huffed and pushed into her faster, trying to get deeper and closer. "Should I have given you my blood last night?" he asked angrily.

"Eric," she moaned, exposing her neck to him. "I'm going to come, do it...take mine..." Her words matched the rhythm of his thrusts, and when she called out his name, he was also buried in her neck, desperate to take back what he emptied into her.

Eric pulled his teeth from her and nicked his finger, rubbing it along the puncture wounds. "Dr. Stackhouse," he said slowly, slipping himself gently from her and pulling her upright. "You have a very dirty mouth."

Sookie beamed at him and pinched his cheek. "You were wound up pretty tight, Mr. Northman. I thought maybe you'd like to let some of that out."

"For the greater good."

"It was very good," she said, smirking.

Eric slid her to her feet before embracing her. "You gave me your blood."

Sookie warily looked up at him. "I wanted to try it."

"And?" he asked carefully.

"I didn't realize how much I'd like being bitten."

Eric wanted to close his eyes and pull away from her. The closer he got to her, the stronger the pull to offer her his blood.

"But I get it," she went on. "It's intimate, and I guess, primal. But it's you. I wouldn't want to do that with anyone else." Suddenly she pulled back and looked at her dress. "Did you rip this?" she asked, pulling it up into place.

"Wouldn't want to do what with anyone else?" Eric asked, tilting her chin up to see her face.

"Exchange blood," she said simply. "Or sex, I guess." Her expression grew worried. "I guess we should have talked about that. I mean, I know we said we didn't want the other to be attached to anyone else. I still don't..." Her blue eyes searched his. "Are you okay?"

Eric quickly closed his pants and led them back to the couch. "If you could drink the blood of another," he started, unsure of what he was saying but desperate to say it, "and in doing so, you would feel what the other was feeling, and sense where the other was...would you take the blood?"

Sookie's eyebrows knitted together as she tried to understand. "You mean, I could feel the other person's emotions? And be able to tell where the other person was physically?"

"Yes. It is more complex than that, but yes."

"Do I like this hypothetical person? I mean, is it a choice?" she asked, and he nodded. Sookie's eyes widened and she gasped. "Is that what happens when you drink my blood?"

"No, not when I take yours. But now that I have had your blood, it is what would happen, if you were to take mine."

Sookie sank back into the couch, deep in thought. "You've been thinking about this." It's why he said he'd left her the night before. He'd also said, it was not something vampires did.

"It has been...harder to resist. We should have discussed this before I took yours."

Sookie grabbed his forearm before he could stand. "Why are you resisting it? Do you not want that with me, is that what you mean?" She wondered that he had brought it up, if it were something he didn't want.

"No," Eric said, frustrated. It was what he wanted. His hesitation, was that she would not.


	12. Chapter 12

The Fairy Doctor

"Oh." Sookie leaned further into the couch. "Oh! You're talking about a blood bond!" she exclaimed, happy to have put some kind of order to the conversation.

"Yes," Eric confirmed. "A bond."

She looked back up at him and slowly shook her head. "But you don't want one with me, is what you're saying." She supposed, in offering him her blood as she had, he was somehow now obligated to tell her, that he would not be giving her his in return.

"I do want..." Eric found it difficult to say the actual words, and cursed himself for his hesitation. "I wish to give you my blood," he said firmly. "I have wanted to...I still do."

"Why?" she asked.

He should not have been surprised by her analytical thought processes, and though normally he refused to explain his actions to anyone, in this instance, he felt he truly had no answer for her. "This has never happened to me," he replied. "Pam is the only one to have received my blood, the night I turned her." Though that did not compare to the compulsion Eric currently felt in his desire to share with Sookie.

"But what you're talking about with me is different," Sookie guessed.

"Very."

"How different?" she asked.

"Ours would be consensual," he started, the faintest glimmer of hope starting inside of him at the suggestion of their bond. "It would not be permanent, not until the third exchange." Sookie's attention was rapt, and her hand had not left his forearm. "We would feel what the other was feeling...you would know when I rise each night, and when I go down for the day. We could also locate one another, were we apart."

"Would we like it?" she asked. She had a difficult time imagining him obligated to the emotions and actions of another against his will.

Eric nodded. "There would be a sense of...well-being, in being connected with each other. The closer we were to one another, the better we would feel." Or so he had heard.

"It makes you happy?" she asked in disbelief.

"To be with one another? Yes."

"It sounds an awful lot like love, Eric."

He was stunned, as he had never considered a blood bond in that way, but he could see why she would describe it as such. "It is probably a deeper connection than that," he speculated. "But yes, it does sound similar."

"So if I drank your blood right now," she reasoned, "we would have all that."

Eric ignored the hardening in his pants and nodded. "Not as strong at first. More so by the second and third exchange."

"And after the third," she repeated, "it becomes permanent. Forever and ever."

"Until one of us dies, yes."

Sookie squeezed his arm and stood up, moving to the kitchen. "That's a big commitment," she said, filling a glass with water for herself in an effort to stay calm. "What made you bring this up now?"

"I cannot seem to avoid it," he said, waving his arm in front of him though her back was to him.

She nodded and leaned against the counter, turning finally to look at him. "It's been bothering you." Though she had nothing to compare it to in her family's world, she felt she finally had a sense of what he was offering her, and the weight it carried.

Eric shook his head. "I would not describe it as bothersome anymore." He had come to want it, and therefore, need it. "I am asking."

Sookie took a small step further into the kitchen and cleared her throat, preparing herself for what she was about to do. "I rescind your invitation, Eric," she said clearly, steeling herself against the look of surprise on his face as his body unwillingly moved through the doors to her balcony. It was, for her, both fascinating and heartbreaking to watch.

He stood there, furiously staring at her, his expression turned into a mixture of confusion and betrayal. "I do not-"

"I don't want you to leave," she said, hoping he would understand, without her having to say anymore.

"Why would I stay?" Eric demanded. "You have forced me to leave." His fangs had dropped, and she had never seen him angrier.

"I don't want you to leave," Sookie repeated. She moved to stand just inside the threshold of the doors, within his reach, before slowly moving back from him. "I don't want you to leave," she said again, emphasizing each word.

Eric's face cleared, and he glanced around the door frames. Tentatively, he stepped back inside her apartment, without her invitation, and felt the pain inside his chest dissipate. He stared at her a moment, unsure what to do.

Sookie smiled, but she wiped tears from her face. The anxiety she had felt, that Eric would leave her, reminded her of the evening of Pam's last treatment, of the fear of possibly never seeing him again. "I'm sorry," she said shakily.

"Do not do that again," he said seriously, and she nodded. "You were testing me?"

"I knew the wards would let you in." She also knew, it was something Eric had to see for himself. Sookie wasn't testing him, she was showing him what he felt for her, even if he could not yet express it.

Eric was not immediately in the mood to agree with her, but he admired her for her cleverness. No one conflicted his emotions as she did. "It is fortunate for you that I enjoy a challenge."

Sookie's expression wavered, and she crossed her arms. "And it's a good thing for you I'm smart," she retorted.

"Deviously so," he agreed.

"I'd like to say it's not in my nature, Eric. Again, I'm sorry." In truth, her maneuver had terrified her, and she was struggling to calm herself.

Sookie was deliberately holding herself away from him, in deference to his feelings, and he didn't like it. Had anyone else manipulated him as such to prove a point, they would no longer be alive. He could also not understand the smell of adrenaline in her body, or the pale color of her face. "What is wrong?" he asked, brows furrowed, stepping closer to her.

"I'd feel better if you accepted my apology," she admitted.

"Of course," he said dismissively. In his mind, Eric had moved on, filing this moment away to contemplate another time. On the whole, he was satisfied with the evening's events. Sookie had not rejected his request to share his blood, not outright, and she had given him her body and blood. It was one of the most productive nights he'd had in a long time. He also no longer needed an invitation to enter her home, as he was now included in those allowed...

"Loved one," he said, too quietly for Sookie to hear. Without thinking, he gathered her to his chest and held her. She was upset, and Eric felt she had no reason to be. "Do not cry," he said quietly. It was a relief to him, almost, to have an explanation for his behavior around her. If Sookie had doubts, Eric would have been happy to assuage them, by giving her a drop of his blood. The thought made him chuckle.

"What's funny?" she asked warily, staring up at him. "For a minute there I thought you'd kill me."

Eric's brow furrowed. "Never." When she swayed slightly on her feet and leaned into him, he remembered her day had been much longer than his. "You are tired."

Sookie nodded into his chest and hid her yawn. "I wish I could ask you to stay."

The thought had occurred to him, that with the wards on her home, and her neighbor upstairs, Sookie's apartment was probably a fairly safe place for him. He was not ready, however, to risk his or her safety, should her kin decide to pay her a visit during the day and object to his presence.

"Another time." Once again, as he'd done before, Eric lifted Sookie into his arms and moved her to her bedroom.

"Eric," she said hesitantly.

He shook his head and stood back. He knew she was thinking of the bond, and he did not want to end his evening by starting one. He would never leave. "When you are awake," he promised. "We'll talk again."

Sookie patted the bed next to her. "Can you stay a bit longer?"

Eric slid in next to her, arranging her on his chest. "When do you work for the doctor again?"

She laughed and hugged him. "I like how your mind works," she said.

"Because you cannot read my thoughts?"

"No, it's just you." She ran her hand up under his shirt and rested it over his heart. "I have a few things to do tomorrow night. I'd really like to come to Fangtasia, though."

"Oh?" Eric was not used to entertaining the ideas of others.

"I don't know how you or Pam would feel about it, but I think it would be worth it to listen in for a while." Sookie assumed, at some point, she'd run across an addict who might have some information to unwittingly impart. "It'd be safer than me hanging out in parking lots."

Eric agreed. He had a growing concern, that she'd crossed paths already with someone possibly behind Pam's poisoning. "I agree that we should meet to discuss a plan..."

"I'm bound to run across someone bringing in a flyer," she speculated. "Or thinking about it."

"How does your gift work?" he asked.

"It depends. Some thoughts are like a voice, right in my head. Sometimes I see memories. The mental voices usually match the verbal ones."

"Is the person you are reading aware?"

Sookie shook her head against him. "Human? No." She had read plenty of beings who knew when she was accessing their thoughts, and some of them could block her. "Not that I've run into. When I was really young, I'd occasionally answer a person's thoughts out loud. But now I'm in and out before anyone knows I'm even there."

Eric found the process fascinating. "Can you project your thoughts into other's?"

"Not into non-telepaths," she admitted.

"So you know other telepaths?"

"It's a very small circle," she said, smiling into his shirt. "It's not that interesting, believe it or not, to find another one." Sookie had not been brought up to believe her telepathy was a gift or a burden, it was a part of her, like her hair or eye color. Though she could not deny the relief and contentment she found, being around Eric and his silent mind. "It's more interesting, finding someone I can't read," she said, poking him.

Eric absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her long hair as he thought about her. "I wish to know more about your life," he announced.

"Alright. As long as you tell me something about yours," she reasoned.

"It is not worth recounting," Eric scoffed. "In which century would you wish me to begin? I can assure you, lover, that history, very painstakingly, repeats itself."

"How many centuries are we talking about?" Sookie asked.

"Ten."

"No!" She abruptly leaned up to look at him. "You're a thousand years old?"

Eric laughed at the incredulous look on her pretty face. "It's not that interesting," he said, repeating her words. "And also a very small circle," he added.

Sookie immediately thought of her great-grandfather, who was close to the same age. "You must know Niall."

"I do."

Perhaps it wouldn't be as difficult bringing up Eric with her great-grandfather as she had worried it would be. She also wondered if Niall weren't somehow already aware of the relationship. "We haven't talked about my uncle," she said.

"No, we have not," Eric agreed. "Or my Queen."

Sookie nodded sleepily. "Busy night tomorrow..."

Eric smiled and brought his lips to the top of her head. It would be.


	13. Chapter 13

The Fairy Doctor

Pam's impatience was in contrast to Eric's cool demeanor as they both stared across the crowded room. "Perhaps I should wait at the door," she suggested for the third time.

"If you wish." Eric scrolled through the texts he had sent to Sookie earlier in the evening, and he was as eager to see her as Pam was. "She had some work to do..." he said disinterestedly, knowing it would egg on his Child.

"Does she not know we are expecting her?" Pam huffed.

Eric smirked. Had Sookie come into their lives or not, the two of them would be doing exactly the same thing they were at that moment. He realized then, with a flinch, that maybe they would not, had Pam not survived. "She will be here."

Pam eyed one of the waitresses and scowled. "I haven't had a decent meal in days," she complained.

"I have," Eric taunted.

"Yes, well. Bully for you." Pam had been reluctant to feed from anyone at the bar since her poisoning and had been thrilled to learn that Sookie intended to help 'screen,' as Eric had put it, Fangtasia's patrons. "Let us end this little narcotic nightmare so I can get on with my life."

Eric laughed and glanced to the hallway that led into the bar from the front entrance. "She's here," he said, unconsciously straightening his posture and adjusting his jacket.

"Would you like a comb?" Pam asked.

"Enough."

Sookie scanned the room and found the two immediately, smiling. She carefully threaded her way to them and kissed Eric on the cheek. "Hey." Her happiness to see him was genuine, as was his. "How are you, Pam?"

The pretty vampire stared at Sookie before shrugging. "I am the same, I suppose."

Sookie nodded and glanced around the room. "The guy out front let me in..."

"Clancy," Pam said.

"He's not very polite," Sookie observed. Instead of waiting in the long line outside the club, she had approached the vampire at the door directly, identifying herself and that she was a guest of Eric's. It had been a full three minutes until he had acknowledged her by silently stepping aside to let her pass.

"What did he say to you?" Eric demanded, and Sookie immediately regretted mentioning the doorman at all.

"Nothing," she said, dismissively waving her hand. The booth she had once previously sat in with Pam was empty, and Sookie pointed to it. "Can we sit?"

Eric nodded and led her by the hand across the room. Sookie noticed it was much easier, the patrons magically parting to let them through, following Eric. He offered to let her in first, and waited until both she and Pam sat down to take his own seat. His hand quickly found Sookie's lap, and he wrapped his long fingers around her thigh.

"How was the hospital?" he asked, shooting a look to the bartender while ignoring Pam's quiet snort.

"Fine, thanks," Sookie answered. A drink had been brought for her, and she sipped it appreciatively. She decided not to mention, that in addition to completing some tasks for Amy, Sookie had also attempted to call her great-grandfather.

"So," Pam began, drumming her fingers on the table top. "How does this work for you?"

Sookie shrugged and looked around the room. "However you like." She had let down her shields before coming inside, acclimating herself to the rhythms of the thoughts around her. When Pam and Eric continued to stare at her, she smiled. "It's probably less obvious, if you act as if I'm not listening," she suggested.

Eric nodded and immediately engaged Pam in a meaningless conversation about the liquor inventory. While Sookie could barely hear them, it gave the appearance of busying the two vampires.

"The music's a little distracting," Sookie murmured. Another glance to the bar, and the volume decreased. She leaned subtly against Eric and focused her gaze on Pam's shoulder as her mind drifted.

There were four other vampires scattered throughout the room, and the thoughts of the humans near them were predictably focused on each one. Sookie ignored the images and fantasies of sex and blood, skipping from one head to the next. A part of her found it depressing, but Fangtasia was a vampire bar, she wasn't expecting to hear anything different.

Sookie saw a view of the three of them where they sat in the mind of a passing waitress and discreetly lifted her head from Eric's shoulder to see her. "Neither of you are feeding from anyone here?" she asked quietly.

Eric stiffened slightly, and Pam shook her head. "Unfortunately, no," she added. "Though some of us have other resources," she went on, raising her eyebrow.

As sure as Sookie knew the comment would anger Eric, she also knew she was more than a 'resource' to him. Before he could snap at Pam, Sookie laid her hands across his in her lap and leaned toward Pam. "There's a blonde in a red corset by the bar, who isn't an addict and can't stop thinking about you," she whispered. "If that helps," she added, winking.

"Infinitely," Pam said smoothly. "I'll be back."

"She should not have said that."

"I didn't take it as an insult," Sookie said gently.

"Because you have manners." Eric ran his free hand through his hair and stared down at her. "What are you hearing?"

"What you'd expect," she answered mildly. Many thoughts, and what Sookie assumed to be memories, were centered around him, and she knew Eric understood that. She didn't expect that it would bother him that she was hearing him. Sookie was tempted to tease him but refrained. She also refrained from repeating the thoughts she'd heard about herself. "It's a very sexually charged place, Eric. I'm okay with that."

"Regardless..."

"No one knows better than I do, that thoughts don't necessarily translate into actions."

Eric smirked. "Were that the case, you would be currently bent over my desk-"

"Eric!" she squeaked, covering his mouth. "Shh!"

They were interrupted by Pam's return. "What did I miss?"

Sookie shook her head and looked back over the room. "Nothing," she said, trying not shift in her seat. Two men at the bar distracted her, their thought patterns much like the woman Sookie had met in the bathroom the first night she'd been to Fangtasia. "Pam...do you recognize those two men at the bar? The one with the green jacket and the man next to him?"

Pam followed Sookie's gaze and quietly hissed. "The dark-haired one was with the woman I fed from that night."

"I want to go over there," Sookie said, gently nudging Eric.

"Why?" he asked, refusing to move.

"What do you mean, why?"

Pam snickered, and Eric waved her off. "What is your intent with him?"

"I'm going to find out who his companion was, and anything else that traipses through his memories." It made sense to her, and she didn't understand his questioning of her. "Is that not something you want?"

He did want that, if it could somehow be achieved from where Sookie sat protected behind him. "I will go with you."

Sookie looked back to the men and sighed. "Can you stand behind the bar?" she asked, catching the quick look between him and Pam. "Both of you?" As they made their way toward the unexpecting pair, Sookie paused. "Better yet," she said, addressing Pam. "Run interference for me." If Sookie were to deeply delve into the man's thoughts as she wanted to, she'd need someone to occupy his partner.

Once they were in place, with Eric leaning, arms crossed, behind the bar and Pam sidling up next to the dark-haired man, Sookie stood directly behind the man in the green jacket as if waiting to be served. She'd fished out his name from his head and waited patiently for him to notice her.

The man casually looked over his shoulder, noticing Eric's glare in that direction, and did a double take when he spotted Sookie. She looked directly at him before smiling questioningly. "Kyle?" she asked tentatively. "Is it...you're Kyle, right?"

He nervously looked her over, but it was out of embarrassment at having no idea who the pretty woman was. "Yeah," he drawled out, desperate to recognize her. "I'm sorry...I don't remember..."

Sookie laughed and reassuringly patted him on the arm. "We only met the other night. You were here with someone..."

Eric watched, as she situated herself next to him, leaning casually on the bar. He had to admit, she played dumb well.

Kyle searched through his own memories, unaware that Sookie did so with him. "Maggie?" Pam suddenly cleared her throat, and Sookie nodded emphatically.

"Yes!" There was an image of a woman with long brown hair and light eyes, talking to another person. "You were talking to someone else, though, so maybe you don't remember me."

"Right." Kyle wondered how high he must have been to not remember meeting her. "Brian was probably with us."

Sookie nodded and reached for the drink that had appeared for her. "Is she here?"

Kyle shook his head. "Uh uh."

"Oh. I was hoping to talk to her again. She was a lot of help with my cousin." Sookie frowned slightly and leaned back against the bar, hoping Kyle would take the bait. "At the clinic," she explained, looking at Kyle as if he would understand.

He did. "Gotcha," he said, and immediately, the building Sookie and Claudine had visited popped into his head.

Sookie shot Eric a look, and she could see his lips move slightly. "Tell her I was asking for her," she said sweetly. "Or maybe I'll see her here again."

Kyle was about to answer when his friend appeared behind him. Sookie could see Pam over the man's shoulder, gliding her way behind the bar to join Eric.

"You ready?" the friend asked, ignoring Sookie.

Kyle turned, surprised. "Huh? Sure. Hey," he started, turning back to introduce Sookie, but she had already moved away, darting down the hall toward Eric's office.

She felt somewhat bad, leaving the conversation so abruptly, but judging from the quality of his thoughts, Sookie doubted Kyle would remember this evening, either. She waited for Pam and Eric, and the three of them entered his office.

"I think I have the right clinic," Sookie started. She took a seat on Eric's couch and smoothed out her skirt. "I guess I the next step-"

"Where is Maggie?" Pam demanded, interrupting her.

Sookie was surprised by her sharp tone and looked at her. "I didn't ask," she said cautiously. "If she comes in again, maybe I can get more information from her then."

Pam was not satisfied. "I thought the point was to locate the woman who poisoned me?"

"The woman's blood was contaminated. She didn't poison you," Sookie argued, confused. If they were to pinpoint who was behind this, it didn't matter where Maggie was. "What exactly do you plan to do with Maggie, if she does show up?" Panicked, Sookie looked to Eric, whose face remained impassive. Her throat was suddenly dry as she realized Pam's intentions. "What purpose would it serve, to kill every addict who receives methadone from this clinic?" she asked hoarsely.

"I am only interested in one particular addict," Pam said smoothly.

Sookie felt her face go red, and she tried to calm herself with her breathing. "Are you both really that short-sighted?"

"Pam," Eric said sharply, startling Sookie. "Leave us." He circled his desk, taking a seat as his Child left the room. He had been impressed with Sookie. She had achieved much, in very little time, with very little effort, and no one had so far been harmed, including herself. "Unlike most," he said finally, "I do not desire to unnecessarily kill anyone." When Sookie didn't answer, he continued. "I have never been accused of being short-sighted." She huffed, and he ignored it. "Explain to me, how you see this playing out."

"Well...now that we know the clinic, we can find the doctor."

"Go on."

"I read him..." She shrugged her shoulders. "We find out who he's with, and then go from there."

Eric nodded thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair. "And then we kill them?"

Sookie scowled. "No. Then we turn him and whomever he's with in for tampering with drugs, which is illegal. The distributing doctor will lose his license, and if that means enough to him, he'll rat out whomever persuaded or paid him to do so."

"You believe the law will hold up the interest of vampires?" he asked sincerely.

"I don't intend to bring vampires into this, Eric," she said hotly. "You aren't gonna nail them on that, you're gonna have to nail them on what's actually illegal. Under no circumstances can you alter a drug, or its packaging, or its distribution. Those clinics make good money from the government. Something like this could shut the whole place down."

"How can we prove it?"

Sookie wasn't sure. "We really need to get into the clinic," she admitted. "Or at least get a name..." she mused. "I could probably do that over the phone."

"I cannot assist you during the day." It was Eric's primary concern.

"I have no qualms about following someone at night, if you're with me," she suggested. "If I got the name of whomever heads their addiction unit..."

Eric grinned. "I would be more than happy to assist you at night."

"Is that right?" Sookie felt the tension between them lessen, as did the knot in her stomach.

He looked at her fondly and held out his arms to her. "I am grateful you seem to have the fairy love for intrigue."

"And not the fairy hatred for all things vampire," she joked, climbing onto his lap.

"That, as well," he agreed. "I know," Eric said quietly, settling her against him, "that you don't agree that taking out the messenger will solve anything."

Sookie stiffened at his veiled reference to Maggie, but Eric held her still. "It won't-"

"I agree," he assured her. "I need to point out, though, that should this escalate, I cannot speak for the welfare of whomever is behind this."

"I know," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sookie knew, in the end, someone always paid.


	14. Chapter 14

The Fairy Doctor

Eric took the night's receipts from Pam and walked back to his office. He'd deposited Sookie there earlier while the club closed for the night, and in the interim he had contemplated asking her to join him at his home. Having never done that before with anyone aside from his Child, he found himself unsure how to approach it.

Sookie's voice was audible as he neared his office door, and it sounded as if she were talking on the phone. His hand rested on the door handle, though it was pointless, as she would soon know he was there. While he assumed he should offer her privacy, his curiosity in and desire for all things regarding her won out, and he quietly slipped inside.

She was perched on the edge of his desk, absent-mindedly studying the ends of her long hair while nodding into the phone. "No, I've considered that, too. It's one of the reasons I called." Eric sat on his couch, which caught Sookie's attention. She smiled and held up two fingers.

"I'm not sure," she went on.

Eric would normally be able to hear both sides of a telephone conversation, and when he discovered he could not, he quickly deduced to whom Sookie was speaking.

"Well," Sookie said, taking in a deep breath. "I'm going home soon..." She cocked her head inquisitively at the frown on Eric's face, and he shook his head. Sookie nodded, listening, before hopping from the desk. "Alright, we'll talk then."

Eric studied her as she stared at her phone. "Your great-grandfather?" he ventured.

"Mm hmm." They regarded each other warily as she slipped the phone back into her purse. "He was returning my call."

"He knows about...?" Eric was unsure how to phrase his question.

"You?" Sookie asked. "Surprisingly, no." Instead of mentioning Fangtasia to Niall, as she had expected Claudine to do, her cousin had passed on how the two women had spent the afternoon outside a mental health clinic. Sookie laughed at the thought of it. "He asked if I were unhappy, so, yes, now he does. Know about you, I mean."

"I am not following you."

"He was concerned that I was unhappy. But I'm not."

Eric still did not understand. "Why would you be unhappy?"

"Exactly!" Sookie exclaimed.

"Sookie," Eric said, exasperated. He had never considered her more fairy-like than in that moment. Nor was he enjoying the almost desperate curiosity he was experiencing, wondering what Niall Brigant's opinion was regarding the involvement of his great-granddaughter with a vampire.

She waved her hands before settling them on her hips. "Bottom line, yes, he knows we're together, and yes, I'm happy." She looked at Eric for understanding. "That's where you came in."

Eric wondered that he would ever understand fairies. "And?"

"And what?"

"He accepts it?"

"Oh," Sookie said, surprised. "I don't know. He didn't say." She hadn't asked him. "Hey," she said, walking to the couch and sitting next to Eric. "It's not..." She wasn't sure how to explain her relationship with her great-grandfather. "It's not like that with fairies. Or at least, not with the fairies I know." Sookie smiled at Eric's confused expression. "It isn't whether or not he accepts it. You're someone I've chosen. Fairies don't make decisions based on the expectations of others."

Eric was skeptical. "I find that difficult to believe." He knew of no race that was not dependent on the opinions of its own.

Sookie laughed. "Then you don't know fairies as well as you think you do."

"I do not pretend to know them at all."

She fought hard to control her snickering. "Fairies behave as they wish. There's almost no regard to the consequences."

Eric nodded thoughtfully, as he could agree with her statement. "I would say that is familiar, from what I have seen. But there are always consequences," he countered.

"Which they charm and trick their ways out of, if need be."

"You do not seem to be one who would do that," he argued.

"Then maybe you do know fairies," she said, smiling warmly at him. "I know I've made a good choice, Eric. I won't need to rely on any fairy tricks to get myself out of anything."

He was quiet as he thought over what she'd said. In a way, he had behaved as she had, making his own decision to pursue her. His biggest argument had been with himself, and like Sookie, Eric was confident in his choice.

"Of course," she said, interrupting his thoughts, "having said that, I am fully aware that Niall isn't going anywhere, and I am still his great-granddaughter."

Eric laughed this time, and slipped his arm around her. "You have unexpected depths, buried as they are under all that fairy logic." He suddenly recalled her phone conversation. "You have to leave?"

Sookie frowned and shook her head. "I don't know, what time is it?"

"You told Niall you would speak to him later at your home."

"Oh! No, I meant Bon Temps. I'm going there tomorrow. I wanted to let him know, in case he wanted to see me in person."

"You have a home there," Eric clarified.

"My childhood home. It was my grandmother's," she explained. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go along, but I didn't know if it was a good time..." Her voice trailed off and she blushed. "I guess you wouldn't be able to stay anyway."

"Is there a cellar?" Eric asked. He knew of no contacts in the small town, with the exception of a shifter, who decidedly had no daytime accommodations for a vampire.

"There's not," she said, disappointed. "Just a shed."

He was debating whether or not to discuss portable coffins, or even the trunk of a vehicle, when her phone went off. Eric nodded for Sookie to answer it, and he recognized the voice of Dr. Ludwig on the other end. A patient was en route to the hospital, and Sookie's assistance was needed.

"Must be an emergency," she said apologetically.

"I am finished here, I will go with you," he offered.

"Amy may ask you to leave," Sookie warned, but he ignored her. The doctor could ask as much as she liked, but Eric would decide if and when he chose to leave Sookie's side.

"She is interrupting our time together," he scoffed, and she laughed.

"Will I be able to use that excuse when something calls you away?"

"This is different," he assured her, ushering from the apartment building and to his car. "She allowed you to be harmed by a vampire, which I will not. Or any other being, for that matter."

It was silent inside the car during the short ride to the hospital, with both Sookie and Eric were deep in thought. Had they discussed their thoughts with each other, they would have been surprised to know, that the other was thinking of the same thing. But while Sookie worried forming a blood blond might intensify Eric's possessive nature, Eric was beginning to see it as a necessity in protecting his mate, as well as his own peace of mind.

"If I had your blood, you couldn't make me do what you wanted, could you?" she asked abruptly.

"No," he said, trying not to voice the regret he felt at the admission. "But my feelings and desires would be forefront in your mind."

"So that could influence my decisions."

It was difficult to explain. "It is more...nuanced than that." Eric parked in the hospital lot and turned toward her. "It is not a matter of force for me, it is a matter of want. I would not want my blood in you to control you. It is because I desire the connection. Yes, it will bring me satisfaction to have you near, but it does not make me react the way I do to you now. It does not change the inherent feelings I already have."

Sookie wasn't convinced. "If you have those feelings for me now, why offer your blood?" she reasoned.

"Why are there mating rituals? Why are there ceremonial bondings and pledges? It is what I have to give to you," he said, exasperated. "Certainly, there are those who have used blood bonds to exert control over another." A Maker and Child was the best example of that. "I suppose, in its crudest sense, it marks you as mine, though it is not something I would force into you," he said finally, opening his car door.

Sookie waited until he reached her door and stepped out of the car. What Eric had said could not have been easy, and she felt compassion for him. He obviously had never experienced any of it with another, and at a thousand years of age, she had to assume he knew what he was talking about. "Sometimes I forget who you are," she started apologetically, staring up into his blue eyes.

Eric smirked and gently brushed back her hair. "It is one of your many admirable traits."

She blushed and shushed him, attempting to drag him toward the building, squealing when he stopped them both to kiss her. "I'm not going to be able to concentrate," she huffed.

Amy was waiting in the hallway, and she did not seem surprised to see the Viking with her colleague. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she drawled, batting her eyes at Eric.

"Doctor," he said dryly, staring at the closed door behind her. "Did someone break a paw?"

Sookie cocked her head as she cast out with her head and grinned. "Uh oh, what have the werepanthers been up to?" she whispered.

Eric knew of only one such group and frowned. "Werepanthers?"

"Don't suppose you'd enjoy holding down a hostile teenager while we relocated his shoulder, would you?" Amy asked, eyeing the vampire.

"Will I be compensated?"

"I suppose I could knock something off your astronomical bill from the other night," she agreed, smiling.

Eric could not have cared less about the patient in question, but if it put him in proximity to Sookie while she tended an unstable werepanther, he did not mind. "What will she do?" he asked, nodding at Sookie.

"Sookie has a way of distracting those in pain," Amy said, winking at her.

"Weres are tough, though," Sookie added. A long time ago, she had discovered that, if given the opportunity to go deep enough into someone's thoughts, it was possible for her to hypnotize the individual. It was a talent useful with patients for whom conventional sedation or pain management was not possible. Most beings of dual nature, such as weres and shifters, burned through sedatives and analgesics, or had adverse, paradoxical reactions. Both doctors had learned, it was not worth the risk.

"Who is it?" Eric asked sharply.

"Calvin Norris," Sookie answered, recognizing the brain patterns of the leader of the werepanther community near her hometown. "Do you know him?"

Eric nodded. "Quite well."

Amy shrugged and opened the door. "Reinforcements are here," she said brightly as she entered the room.

Calvin stood near the bed, on which was seated a young male, in obvious pain, guarding his right arm and shoulder. "Sookie," Calvin said quietly, nodding to Eric.

"Hey, Calvin," she answered kindly. "What's got you out so late?" she asked easily, focusing her attention on the boy.

"Jesse, here, has dislocated his right shoulder," Amy explained, moving around the bed to stand behind him. "Happened yesterday, apparently."

"Uh oh," Sookie remarked, pulling a chair up to sit in front of him. "You wanna tell me how it happened?" The boy haltingly began his story, glancing nervously at Calvin every few seconds, until Sookie could get a hold of his train of thought. Within a few minutes, she was guiding him through his day in excruciating detail, while Amy gathered a sheet from the bed.

She draped it such so as to wind it around both his shoulders, wrapping it tighter around the right one, and winding its way down his right arm. She nodded at Sookie, who frowned. "I don't quite have him," she said, barely audible.

Calvin slipped behind the boy, preparing to grab him, when Eric spoke. "Jesse, look at me," he said authoritatively. The boy's eyes shifted to Eric's immediately. "Stay still," Eric went on, gesturing to Amy and nodding. The tiny doctor counted softly as Calvin's arms braced the boy, and a loud pop sounded through the room as she successfully yanked his shoulder back into position.

"The pain will be bearable," Eric told him. "You will rest until Calvin tells you otherwise."

Jesse nodded dumbly as Amy removed the sheet. "Thank you," the boy stuttered, staring at Calvin.

"How's your arm?" Amy asked.

Jesse shrugged and winced. "It's okay." He shook his head, as if shaking off a dream, and glanced at Sookie and Eric, his eyes widening at the vampire. Eric raised his eyebrow and stepped back from his spot behind Sookie.

"That's that," Amy said, rubbing her hands together. "Calvin, I'll send you the bill."

"No doubt," he joked. He gestured for Jesse to follow him, nodding again at Eric. "Thank you, Eric. Sookie," he said seriously.

They watched the pair leave, and Sookie began stripping the bed. "Their heads are so...prickly!"

"You had him there pretty good," Amy admitted, putting her hands on her hips and facing Eric. "And aren't you the dark horse?" she exclaimed. "You could put the whole practice of anesthesiology out of business with that trick." It was not the first time, Dr. Ludwig and Eric had sparred over what he could do as a vampire, if he chose.

"Not to mention psychiatry, law enforcement..." Sookie added. "Anything, really. It's amazing," she said sincerely.

"Only you would think so," Eric said.

Amy snorted. "Who knew you could use your gifts for good-"

"Enough." It was late, and he no longer wished to be at the hospital. It was the reason he glamored the boy in the first place. The sooner he could be treated, the sooner Eric could leave with Sookie. "I am not the one who outlawed glamoring, doctor," he pointed out. "It has nothing to do with good, or bad."

"Uh huh." She eyeballed the two of them before waving them off and leaving.

Sookie patted the edge of the bed, and he sat beside her. "Thank you for helping."

"You are welcome. Why did the weres not treat this themselves?" It did not seem that complicated to Eric.

"Weren't you listening?" she asked, and he shook his head. "He was hiding since yesterday, Calvin only just found him. Probably doing something he wasn't supposed to." Sookie sighed, and gently scratched her nails along his thigh. "Plus, we don't go out to Hotshot at night," she joked.

"I do not blame you." Eric's run-ins with Calvin Norris had never been in the werepanther's community.

"I don't think Calvin would choose a regular hospital, either, if he didn't have to." She let Eric pull her to her feet, and she wrapped her arms around him. "I guess I should let you go, it's getting late."

"When are you going to Bon Temps?" he asked, holding her tighter to him.

"Whenever I get up, I guess. Six?" Sookie generally caught the last few hours of daylight when she awoke.

Eric smiled, though she could not see it. "Is that when you rise for the day?"

"Usually. Why?"

"So do I."

She wasn't sure what his point was. "Oh...oh!" She leaned back to see his expression. "Are you asking me to...what?"

"If we are both going to Bon Temps, and we are both getting up at the same time..." he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"They have nothing to do with each other! Are you asking me over? Because that is the worst invitation I've heard!"

Eric laughed and lifted her from the floor to hug her. "Stay with me, lover. In my home."

"Better," she said, pushing at him until he released her. "Should we go now?"

"You will stay? It will not bother you, that I will be down for the day?" Never one for self-consciousness, Eric was suddenly unsure how it would appear to her, to sleep next to his lifeless form.

"I'll be sleeping, too, right?"

"Eventually," he teased, admiring the pink color that immediately spread across her cheeks. "You will have to remain with me until I rise, though." Until he could set up a way for her to safely move about his home. "If you tripped the alarm, I would not be able to help you." It would also kill her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at him. "You trust me to stay with you?"

"Yes," he said sincerely. "Would you harm me?"

"No! You know I wouldn't!"

Eric leaned to kiss her tears. He knew.


	15. Chapter 15

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie startled at the voice behind her. "Hey, Amy," she said, fumbling and dropping her keys as she attempted to lock her front door.

The amused doctor hid her smile and leaned casually against the wall of the hallway outside Sookie's apartment. "Going somewhere?"

Sookie heaved her overnight bag over her shoulder and bent to pick up her keys. "I'm spending the weekend in Bon Temps, remember?" She knew Amy did, just as she knew Amy knew where Sookie was going at that particular moment.

"Mm hmm. Heading out tonight?"

Sookie sighed and pursed her lips. "I thought you were still at the hospital."

"Nope. I beat you and the Viking here!" Whatever doubts Amy had about Eric Northman, most had been put aside when he'd walked into the hospital room with Sookie. While he hadn't done anything for the patient out of the goodness of his heart, in the doctor's opinion, he had for Sookie, which Amy had noticed.

"He invited me over," Sookie admitted quietly, blushing. "We're, uh...we're going to go together...tomorrow..."

"From his place," Amy clarified. The vampire was going to allow the fairy to stay with him, in his resting place.

Sookie nodded and pushed her long hair back. "Yeah," she breathed. "He's downstairs..."

"Alright," Amy said. "Don't keep him waiting."

"Okay." She leaned down when Amy motioned her to, and was surprised by the peck she received on her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow or Sunday, I guess." Sookie wasn't sure what her plans were, now that Eric was going with her, but at least one of them would be returning to Shreveport the following night.

Eric reached for Sookie's bag as she approached him, and he could smell the scent of Dr. Ludwig on her. "Chatting with the neighbors?" he asked. He had waited impatiently in the lobby, and he knew then what had kept Sookie so long.

Sookie apologized and followed him to his car. "I was just saying goodbye to Amy," she explained.

"She knows of your plans?" Eric asked.

"Is that okay?" She hadn't considered not telling Amy, though she wondered if Eric would have preferred that.

"If there were a risk, which there is not," he said reassuringly, "it would be for your safety."

"What do you mean?"

"You are keeping company with a vampire, Sookie. I put you at the greater risk."

Sookie was confused. "You just said there was no risk."

"Not in my home, but generally speaking..." His voice trailed off as he pulled his car onto the driveway of a quietly expensive-looking stone house, and he turned to look at her. "I do not mind who knows that we are with the other." The gesture he was about to make, allowing her to stay with him, was not lost on him. "I will not harm you," he said sincerely, "but the danger I pose to you is very real."

Sookie frowned. "You mean me being with you, us being together?"

"Who I am, and who you are...yes."

She swallowed and looked up at his house. "Are you having second thoughts?" she asked nervously.

"Not at all. Are you?" he countered.

"I'm really not," she said honestly. There had never been any first dates for her, no high school formals. She had never suffered the embarrassment one's family brought to a teenager discovering the opposite sex. By the time the mood had struck for male company in her adult life, Sookie had sought what she needed. "I like this," she admitted. "I like you. It feels right."

Eric silently agreed with her. Despite the way his body reacted, despite his drive to connect himself to her in any way he could, and despite the way those things drove his rational mind to the irrational, Sookie, to him, felt right.

Only three beings had ever set foot in Eric's home, excluding the vampire who rested there. His child, his day man, and a bonded, much-glamored cleaning woman. Over the years, Eric's unease with their intrusions had lessened, but it did not compare to the trepidation and excitement he felt, now that Sookie was in his home. He had surprised himself when, after spending time in her home, he began imagining Sookie in his, as if it were hers.

Sookie had marveled at the modern kitchen, obsolete and pristine, and now stood, stunned, in the main living area. "It feels like you," she said, smiling and laying her hand on his arm. "The outside, and then the inside..."

Eric glanced around the vibrant, masculine room, filled with things accumulated over a very long life, and nodded. "I suppose." It was where he was at that moment, and he gave it little thought.

"Everything's so big," Sookie observed. "But it's actually very warm." His home, she felt, was very much like him. The books and artwork and objects lining the walls, which she was sure probably belonged in museums, called to her, and Sookie hoped she'd have an opportunity to further investigate them.

"There are quarters upstairs," Eric said, gesturing above him. "A bathroom." He waved her down a hallway and opened one of the doors. "Follow me," he instructed.

Sookie barely caught site of the darkened stairwell as he pulled the door shut behind her. "No light?" she asked.

As no human had ever been to that part of his home, Eric had not considered how one would manage. So focused on getting Sookie to his resting place, where he could feel truly alone and comfortable with her, he had, he realized, ignored her entirely.

"Would you like something to...drink?" he asked awkwardly.

"Mostly I'd like to get down these stairs," she whispered.

"Of course." He reached tentatively for her and felt relief when she confidently grabbed a hold of him. "Hang on," he said, scooping her into his arms and whisking her down the steps. "I had not considered-"

"It's fine," she said pleasantly as he set her on her feet. "Just dark."

Eric guided her through two more sets of doors and switched on the lights. "Better?"

Sookie nodded and took in the room. The ceiling was low, and though large in length and width, the bed was scaled down to fit. It would not look out of place, she thought, to see flames in the sconces on the walls, instead of bulbs. As best she could see, the walls were dark, possibly brown, and she wondered if this were how the inside of a Viking home may have looked. It was spare, and earthy. Maybe, at his most vulnerable while he rested, Eric had inadvertently chosen what was most comforting to him. It wasn't something she could see bringing up.

"The bathroom is through that door," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "I will put your things in the closet."

Despite that Sookie decided to use the toilet, she could still hear him talking to her. He explained, while she washed her hands and took a drink from the tap, that the basement was ventilated, and that she should not be worried about an inadequate air supply while she slept.

"I hadn't even thought about it," she admitted, re-entering the bedroom. His shirtless chest startled her, as did the fact that he was already lounging in the bed under the covers.

"I must also warn you," he went on, "that should you leave this room before I rise, you will be trapped between the doors, and the air circulation is very poor in those areas."

"Got it."

They stared at one another for a moment before Eric's eyebrows furrowed. "Is something...?" He was unsure what to ask of her. "Are you not tired?" He could sense at least a few hours before he would go down for the day.

"I could probably sleep," she said hastily, gesturing toward the closet door. "I'll go change."

Sookie was relieved to find a light switch and found herself surrounded by Eric's clothing. She recognized some of the things she had already seen him wear and fought the urge to laugh at some of the more outlandish clothing hanging toward the back of the large walk-in.

She spotted a Fangtasia t-shirt and grabbed it, throwing it on over her underwear and stashing her worn outfit in her bag. She'd brought some sleep sets with her, but Eric, she was sure, was more interested in what was under her clothes. The thought warmed her, and she was smiling when she finally left the closet.

"Where did you get that shirt?" Eric asked seriously.

"You really haven't done anything like this before, have you?"

"Like what?" he asked, watching her closely as she climbed onto the bed.

"Dating. Having someone over." It made her sad, that he'd spent this side of his life alone.

Eric frowned. "You consider me your 'date'?" The word that came to his mind rhymed with hers. She sighed softly and folded her hands in her lap. "Would you be more comfortable in another bedroom, Sookie?"

"What? No!" There was no chance in her mind of spending a minute locked inside his home if he weren't in the same room. "You're more than a date," she said sincerely. "I think this whole...subterranean, crypt-type thing is throwing me off." Sookie worried she'd insulted his home, until Eric burst into loud laughter. "Sorry," she said, snickering.

"There is a rather large absence of choking plant-life and fairy dust," he said, pulling her to him.

"There is," she agreed. Sookie worked her way under the bed covers and laughed again. "I see your chest isn't the only thing bare."

"Do you wish me to cover up?" he asked, pulling her hand to his ever-present erection. "I do not know that one will be enough, though."

Before Sookie could respond, he lifted her from the bed and placed her over his hips. "Is that better?" she asked, grinning.

"Much." Eric adjusted himself underneath her and smiled as he gently moved her back and forth over himself. "Subterranean crypt..." he mused. Once Sookie's hips picked up the rhythm, he moved his hands to her shirt, pulling it from her. "I would keep you here like this, lover...riding me."

Her breasts were wonderfully soft to him, as were all her parts. Eric had bedded countless women, and they were the figures like hers, womanly and full, that appealed to him the most. Sookie would have lasted the harshest of winters, and borne the healthiest of children.

"I wouldn't mind," she said, breathing into his mouth as she leaned down to kiss him. She felt his long fingers pull aside her underwear as he pushed up inside her, making her gasp.

What Eric felt from her, what she stirred in him, wasn't anything he'd known, and he told her, whispering into her ear, in his own language. He told her how she was his, and he was hers. He told her that they'd never be separated, and that he'd never be without her. Without saying the words, he told her he loved her.

Sookie was barely aware of Eric's voice as his fingertips moved against her above where they joined. Her scream as she climaxed was more of a sob, and he thrusted forcefully a few more times, coming as well.

The urge to taste her was overwhelming, and he reluctantly moved her beside him. It was more about moving Sookie's neck out of reach than anything.

"You feel so good, Eric," she said sleepily, kissing him where her head rested on his chest.

"So do you." He was ready to plunge back in, but Sookie was already asleep as he gently pulled the hair back from her face.

Since he'd met her, Eric had anticipated the moment he'd have her with him, at his side, and it was more fulfilling than he'd hoped. But now that she was, his thoughts moved to keeping her there.

Humans and vampires co-existed under specific circumstances, and Eric was not interested in declaring Sookie as his pet. He could declare her as his, which he would. He could form a blood bond with her, which he also intended to do. Were he still a human, and considered a good match, he would have sought out her family for her hand. Sookie, however, was not simply human. By definition, she was also a fairy princess.

Eric grimaced and pulled her sleeping form more tightly against him. It would not be enough, no matter how Sookie claimed that fairies lived by their own whims, to claim her, or even some day turn her, in hopes of keeping her. At some point, he realized, he would have to speak with her family. At some point, he would have to seek out Niall Brigant.


	16. Chapter 16

The Fairy Doctor

There was little to see but clouds in the dark evening sky, when Sookie suddenly sat forward in the passenger seat as Eric's car passed the sign for Bon Temps. "How will I get home?" she asked worriedly, having not thought twice when Eric offered earlier to drive.

"If you wish to stay, I can retrieve you tomorrow night." He had no intention of remaining in Sookie's hometown and every intention of persuading her to return to Shreveport with him before he went down for the day. Leaving without her was not on his itinerary.

"That's ridiculous, I'd never ask you to do that," she huffed.

He knew she would not, which was why he had suggested it. "Whatever you wish," he offered blandly. Were Sookie to eventually agree to a blood exchange, Eric realized he would possibly not get away with such manipulations. Possibly.

"I wasn't thinking," she said, sighing loudly. "I'll go back with you, I guess."

Eric hid his smirk and shifted gears. "How long do you usually stay?"

"Overnight. I try to make it to church if I'm here, to see everybody."

Eric wondered at the ever-growing circle of her acquaintances. "Who is 'everybody'?" he

asked.

Sookie gave him the instructions to her grandmother's house and lowered the car window. "Some of Gran's friends. My brother," she said, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes I stop in and see my old boss." She flitted her fingers at a turn-off as they passed it. "His bar's right down there."

"You worked in a bar?"

"Just for the last two summers during undergrad. There wasn't much time after that." She closed her eyes and hummed. "I miss the way it smells here."

Eric questioned the necessity of a fairy princess working in a backwater bar while attending medical school and decided it was fittingly strange enough, given what he knew of Niall Brigant. "Did you need the extra money?" he asked jokingly.

"From the bar?" she asked, laughing. "No! But it gave me something to do. I lost Gran the spring before I started," she explained. "It helped, being around people."

Eric tried to ignore the slight compassion he felt for her loss and instead focus on the deeply rutted driveway rattling his car. "Why is this not paved?" he demanded.

"No one drives a car like this around here, Eric," Sookie said, smiling as she patted him on the thigh and opened her door.

Eric frowned and followed her up the steps to the porch of a weathered farmhouse. The wards felt stronger to him than those on Sookie's apartment and were not contained to just the home. "You stay here alone?" he asked.

"Uh huh," she replied, unlocking the front door and stepping inside. The porch was suddenly illuminated, as were the rooms through which Sookie was swiftly moving. "You coming?" she called.

Eric knew that he could, but still he paused at the threshold. It was disconcerting to understand that the magic of fairies, in that instant, was more powerful than that of his kind. He should not be allowed to enter, and Eric wondered what other forces the fae were capable of overriding.

"Hey," Sookie said softly. She had come back to lean on the opened door. "Would you rather leave?"

"I have never given so much consideration to your kin," he admitted.

She reached her hand for him, pulling him slowly into the house. "They're not so bad," she said. "If you're not comfortable here, we can go."

Eric shook his head and moved past to her into the living room. "I owe you, for keeping you in the crypt."

"No! I like your house-"

He waved her off, though he was pleased. "Your brother looks familiar, Sookie," he commented, fingering several of the pictures that crowded the walls. "Why is that?"

"Because he's the image of one of my great-grandfather's sons." Sookie flopped onto the couch and admired Eric as he moved about the room. "It's a sore subject, though."

"You have a sister?"

"Huh?"

Eric pointed to one of the photos. "The unpleasant-looking girl with you..."

"That's my cousin Hadley. She's not so bad, either." Sookie took a deep breath, and Eric turned to watch her with interest as she struggled with what she wanted to say. "There are three of us. Jason, Hadley and me." It was obvious that Sookie was uncomfortable.

"Descendents of your great-grandfather," Eric clarified.

"Yes. Though I'm the only one he recognizes," she said, embarrassed.

"Why?"

Sookie's voice was small. "I've never asked."

The tall vampire clasped his hands behind his back and returned to the photos. "What has become of them?"

"Jason runs his own road crew for the parish. I mean, his house is paid for. I share whatever I have..."

"And your cousin?"

Sookie snickered. "Hadley actually works with our cousins in Monroe. Our fairy cousins."

"Doing what?"

"Um, I'm not sure, but it's a strip club."

"Your cousins are the Crane triplets?" Eric asked, joining her on the couch.

"I take it you know them."

He ignored her and pulled her onto his lap. "Why are we here, lover?"

Sookie sighed at the feel of his mouth on her neck and promptly forgot what she wanted to ask him. She could not reconcile how intertwined their existences had apparently been, yet she and Eric had never met. "Cemetery," she moaned as his hand snaked up and inward along her thigh and his cool tongue darted around her ear.

"I am not opposed to a graveyard."

She reluctantly pushed off of him and stumbled to her feet. "I cannot think around you sometimes, I swear."

"That must be new to you," he said, smirking. He would not reveal that he, too, was often struck dumb in her presence.

"I need to go to the cemetery. That's why we're here." Sookie left the room, and Eric could hear her opening and closing a door in another room. She carried a large flashlight upon her return and waved to Eric to follow her.

She led him through a kitchen, to an enclosed porch and out into the yard behind the house. "I came to check on Gran's grave," she explained breathlessly, hurrying through the grass.

Eric could smell the imminent rain and surveyed the wooded area around the house. "You do this alone when you come here?"

A dirt path started at the end of the property, and beyond that a small cemetery. Sookie paused and turned, keeping the beam of the flashlight on the ground in front of her. "I grew up here, Eric. There's nothing out here to hurt me. Besides," she joked, "you're here, right?"

Eric snickered and fell in behind her as she hurried along the path. "Then why do you rush?"

"Because it's about to rain," she snapped. Sookie expertly wove her way around the graves and dropped to her knees in front of a headstone.

He was surprised when she pulled a small pair of gardening shears from the back of her pants and began trimming around the marker. "Adele Stackhouse," he read aloud. "She died seven years ago?"

"Almost eight." Sookie leaned back and brushed at the base of the stone. A flowering vine twisted its way along the top of the headstone, and she fingered the flowers. "It's a fairy vine," she softly. "Some years the blooms are pink, some years they're white. I guess whatever color they feel like showing." She switched off the flashlight, unfazed by the blackness around her, and sat back against her grandmother's headstone.

Eric watched in silence, as Sookie closed her eyes and occasionally ran her hands along the grass. He smiled when she did, as if she were remembering something, or simply content. It was one of the things that drew him to her. Eric was sure, given her upbringing and her telepathy, that she was well aware of both the good and bad of which all creatures were capable. However she achieved it, he admired her balance in handling the world around her.

Sookie's grandmother was not the only Stackhouse in the cemetery, Eric had noticed. "Are your parents here, as well?" he asked quietly.

Sookie nodded and pointed to her right. "Right there." Her finger pointed down the row. "Next to my grandfather, and then my aunt..." Her voice trailed off as raindrops could be heard pelting the leaves of the trees around them. "We should go back."

They reached the enclosed porch as the rain began to fall in earnest, and Sookie slipped inside the house in search of matches. She returned to light the hurricane lamps at either side of the porch before joining Eric in his chair. "Thanks for coming here with me."

"I do not mind."

Sookie laughed and leaned against him while staring out across the yard. "I expect my great-grandfather will show up." She turned her face toward his and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thought I should warn you."

"It is for the best," he replied seriously. The sooner Eric could ascertain Niall Brigant's position on his great-grandaughter's relationship with a vampire, the more confident Eric would feel when Sookie inevitably crossed the path of his Queen. Sookie had specifically said, that her telepathy would remain her own, but Eric was more concerned about the cure she had discovered. Holding the favor of the most powerful prince of the fae realm would only help Sookie.

"I think so," Sookie agreed. "He knows I'm helping you guys-"

"You told him of Pam's poisoning?"

"No!" She looked at Eric as if he had two heads. "I can't break confidentiality! You know that. I told him I saved a vampire's life, medically speaking."

"Why?" he demanded.

She slowly stood up from his lap and took the chair next to him, fixing him with a hard look. "I talk to my family when I'm concerned for my safety. That phone conversation you walked in on?" she asked, and he nodded. "I was asking him for advice. He's known vampires as long as you have," she pointed out.

"What was his...advice?"

"We didn't get that far. He was wondering why I was at a mental health clinic, and then we got talking about you."

Eric snorted. "And what did he have to say about me?"

Sookie shook her head. "Not much. He was more worried that I was unhappy, and that's why I was at the clinic. It turned into a discussion of why I was happy, and that's how you came up."

"I make you happy?"

"Most of the time." She folded her arms across her chest and blew out a loud breath.

Eric took in her body language and gathered it was one of the times he was not making her happy. "Thank you for keeping Pam's illness in your confidence," he said, having learned his lesson in etiquette from their previous encounters.

"I have a little more practice at straddling lines and keeping my mouth shut than most people," she said hotly. "I'd like you to give me a bit more credit-"

"I apologize. You are correct, and I do trust you." He marveled at her stiff posture and honest words, as if he were deserving of them. It was how she always interacted with him, angry or not, as if he were like anyone else. There were no tricks or lies, no underlying meaning to her words for him, ever. While some could possibly see it as a lack of respect for his position, Eric chose to view it as the opposite. "You truly see me as an equal?"

"Of course," she answered automatically. "Well, as long as you're treating me as one. Where did that come from?"

"You would not change anything about me?" he asked skeptically.

Sookie eyed him and frowned. "Like what?" she asked, looking him over with a shrug. "I think you'd look handsome with short hair. Is that what you mean?" she asked seriously, and he laughed. "You're a really old vampire, Eric. I don't think much is going to change about you," she huffed. "Obviously, however you are works for you, since you're still here. So, no, I wouldn't change anything about you. You're who you're supposed to be."

It was not the answer he expected from her, as usual. "Every now and then, lover, your fairy shows," he said, leaning toward her as she leaned further away from him.

"I was wrong, you should work on the sweet-talking."

Eric grinned and reached for her. "I am fascinated with the things you say-"

It was Sookie's turn to snort. "Not much of a compliment," she argued, but she was beginning to laugh as Eric pulled her back to his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Shouldn't you be telling me I'm the most beautiful woman you've ever seen, and how my eyes remind you of the-"

"No, that would mean I am comparing you to someone or something else," he said, suddenly serious as he held her face in place with his fingers. "I will not say those things, as I have never seen nor met anyone like you. There is no one to which I can compare you."

"Eric," she said, willing her voice not to break or her eyes to tear.

"Do you wish for me to cut my hair?" he asked as he slipped his hand under her shirt and onto her breast. Eric wished to distract her from crying, and he was succeeding.

"No, I was just thinking of something to say-"

"Lover," he said, interrupting her. "Are you easily cold? I would very much like to have you out here in the rain." Eric's vision of her, on all fours in the grass, being taking by him from behind had him hard and more than ready. From the way Sookie shifted on top of him, he knew she was considering it.

"I don't think that'll happen," she said distractedly, and Eric glanced up to see her staring across the yard. "Not unless you'd like an audience," she added.

Eric followed her gaze to a faint illumination moving through the trees. "Is that...?" he asked, and she nodded.

Her great-grandfather was coming.

.

.

A/N For many chapters, I have meant to thank the guest reviewers, to whom I can't reply. Forgive me for taking so long to say thank you for your kind reviews, and I wish I could individually answer you all.


	17. Chapter 17

The Fairy Doctor

Eric watched Sookie's face, her smile widening as her great-grandfather came closer to the house. It was a smile of fondness and love, and again, Eric wondered how he had stumbled across Sookie Stackhouse.

Niall Brigant crossed the lawn, bringing his own illumination with him. His expression matched his great-granddaughter's, though his features were less human and more ethereal. He was aware of the vampire's presence, but gave no notice of it.

Sookie rose to greet him, and when she did, Eric stood as well, to move to the other side of the porch. He had crossed paths with Niall many times, and though Eric knew the ancient fairy could mask the intoxicating smell of his kind so as not to entice a vampire, Eric wished to avoid any reason to attack a member of Sookie's family. At least, not because of scent.

"Child," Niall said warmly, reaching the top step and embracing his great-granddaughter. "How well you look!"

"Grandfather," she replied, holding him tightly. Sookie had long ago dropped the full title, and he hadn't seemed to mind. She sniffed his dark suit jacket and frowned. "You smell different..."

"You have company," Niall said, ignoring her observation and looking over her head at Eric.

She blushed and cleared her throat. "Grandfather, I believe you know Eric Northman."

"The reason you are not unhappy," Niall offered, studying his great-granddaughter.

"One of them," she replied, smiling at Eric. "Eric, this is my great-grandfather, Prince Brigant." If she were nervous, it didn't show, and she gestured for them to sit. Niall did so first, and once Eric sat on his side of the porch, Sookie diplomatically placed herself between the two of them.

Eric could see the older fairy in his great-granddaughter, in the length and color of hair, in the similar shade of their eye colors, in the shape of their faces. But Sookie's sense of spirit was lighter and more innocent and, Eric felt, more genuine. Whether it was her young age or watered-down genetics, he didn't care, he was more than satisfied with her disposition.

"Is she the reason you are not unhappy, Vampire?" Niall asked, reaching for his great-granddaughter's hand.

"Yes," Eric answered simply. Sookie bowed her head to hide her smile. She had wondered how it would go, vampire meeting fairy, and so far, she was not surprised.

"Your problems have become hers," Niall went on casually.

Eric nodded slowly. "And her problems, mine," he replied, though what Niall said held more weight in it. It was true, Eric had inadvertently drawn Sookie into what could be a very dangerous situation for her.

"I wouldn't have chosen him, if I weren't who I am," Sookie said, interrupting their exchange and looking at her great-grandfather. "I'm as much yours as I am his." Niall only blinked as he took in her words.

"I will not allow any harm to come to her," Eric added. He had considered how to declare himself to the fairy, but Sookie had done it for him. She had also managed to remind both of the men, that she was not choosing sides. Sookie was, indeed, good at straddling lines.

Niall was quiet for a moment, before retrieving an envelope from his jacket and handing it to his great-grandfather. "You will call me, when you need me."

Sookie nodded. "Always."

"As I will always answer," he replied seriously.

Eric knew the comment was directed at him, a reminder of to whom he would answer. "I will see that my problems, do not become yours."

Niall snickered and rose to his feet. "They already have," he said merrily. "As mine have," he continued, smiling at Sookie, "become yours."

"Am I really that bad?" Sookie asked, frowning.

"No, my love," Niall replied, pulling her into another hug. "You are the best of all of us."

Eric nodded in silent agreement, reflecting on what the fairy had said. It was his understanding, that Niall accepted his great-granddaughter's choice, or at the least, acknowledged it. It was also clear, that in doing so, Sookie had not compromised her relationship with the prince. What remained, was whether or not it mattered, as Eric could not perceive how either of the fairies in front of him felt about it. Vampires, he was discovering, were easier to read than fairies.

Niall kissed Sookie on the cheek, before fixing his narrowed eyes on the vampire. He did not speak, but raised his eyebrows before turning and leaving the porch. Sookie walked with him halfway across the yard and then watched as he disappeared into the woods. Eric was pleased to see him go.

"Well," Sookie said, returning to the porch. "That went fairly well."

"Fairly well?"

She shrugged and fanned herself absent-mindedly with the envelope still in her hand. "Okay. Very well."

Eric scowled and sat back down on his chair. "How can you tell?" he asked skeptically.

Sookie cocked her head as she watched him. "Are you angry, or frustrated?"

He was neither. "Was there a point to this meeting?" he asked.

"Meeting?" she repeated.

Eric hadn't known what to expect from Sookie's great-grandfather, and though difficult to admit, it had unnerved him. Fairies and vampires had never been a combination to which he'd given a thought, unless it involved blood. "Were you to meet my Queen...there are rules," he said haughtily.

Sookie flinched and stood straighter. "Okay."

"But here," he continued, gesturing to the enclosed porch.

"Ah," Sookie replied, understanding. "We have rules," she said slowly, making her way toward him.

"I should have asked for an audience," he speculated.

"For what?"

"To speak with him."

Sookie shook her head. "You just did!"

"It is not how it is done!" With his kind, Eric would make a declaration, it would keep others from what was his. There was a hierarchy, an order of things.

"That was probably the point," she said gently.

"Nothing of importance was said." Nothing of importance to him.

Sookie carefully weighed his words. "I said I would always call him, and he said he would always answer. That was the point of this 'meeting,'" she said.

Eric realized, it had nothing to do with him. His presence was unnecessary. "So why am I here?"

She looked at him blankly. "You're the reason he came here."

He carefully stood, clenching his fists tightly at his sides and fighting a growl. "There are many languages that I speak, but fairy is not one of them," he said through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to shake her until her words made sense.

"What are you so angry about?" Sookie asked incredulously. "What were you expecting? Trumpets and fanfare?"

"Sookie-"

"What's it like, meeting your Queen?" she asked hotly, interrupting him. "Does she join you on the porch and hold your hand? Would she even acknowledge me? Are you upset because he didn't give you shit?" Her voice had risen, and her hands had moved to her hips as she angrily stared up at him. "I don't need his approval, but I'm grateful he said he'll always be there for me. For both of us. Your problems, my problems," she said, moving her hand around in a circle. "Our problems." Sookie widened her eyes at him. "That's what that meant, Eric. Because we're together."

"Are you about to tell me where I can shove that envelope?" he asked, smirking.

She held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "This close."

"Lover," he said quietly, scooping her up against him. "I wanted to tell him you were mine."

"He wouldn't care, that's the point." She slid back down his frame, not letting go of him. "I've told him you're mine, and I'm yours. I've told him I'll be bonding with you, and that-"

"What?"

Sookie waved him off, tired of the conversation. "Just let it go," she begged, and he snorted. "You have to. Am I going to understand everything in your world?"

"Probably." He was sure of it, given how intelligent she was.

"He's bigger than you. Bigger than both of us," she said. "You'll have to get over it. None of it has to make sense, as long as you understand that. I mean, really, do you care if he likes you?" she asked, exasperated.

"No."

"Then why are we having this discussion?"

"I have no idea," Eric answered honestly.

"Whether it's clear to you or not," Sookie said seriously, "you have his version of approval. So take it and run."

"Is that an invitation?"

She sighed and rubbed her face. "The two of you are exhausting," she complained.

"I enjoy arguing with you, I have found," he said, moving closer. Sookie had a quick temper, but it was appropriate, and her points were made succinctly. Eric also enjoyed that her accent deepened, as did the flushing of her face. Sookie groaned and attempted to shove him away.

"Here," she said, smacking the envelope against his chest. "Take it."

"What is it?"

Sookie slid onto one of the chairs and sighed. "He offers to help me...constantly. Sometimes I take him up on it." She crossed her legs and covered her face with her arms, relaxing against the chair. "It makes him happy."

Eric ripped open envelope and read the enclosed paper. "Robert Lawson. Rebecca Lawson. Who are they?" An address followed the names, along with what he assumed were personal details regarding the names.

"The doctor at the clinic," she replied, reaching for the paper. She studied it and frowned. "I don't know who's who, though. I asked him names, but I think these two are married. Which one's the doctor?" she asked distractedly, as Eric lowered himself to the floor in front of her and spread her knees apart.

He trailed his fingertips along the top of her thighs, smiling when she shivered. "Thank you," he said, though he knew she wasn't paying attention. "I appreciate it," he went on. Sookie hadn't seemed to notice that he'd unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it from her jeans.

"That's the thing with Niall," she said, oblivious to the large vampire wedged between her legs. "He goes way overboard. Listen to this...Rebecca Lawson, nee Newlin, born April 12th, 1970. Siblings David, Mary Grace, Steven-"

Sookie gasped and grabbed her chest as Eric leapt to his feet, ripping the paper from her gasp. His body tensed as he read, and Sookie could hear the sharp sound of his fangs emerging. "Eric?" she asked cautiously.

"You are certain one of these names belongs to the doctor prescribing and administering methadone at the clinic you visited?" he demanded.

Sookie nodded and looked at her shirt, frowning as she buttoned it close. "Yes. I'm sure. Niall wouldn't...no," she said shaking her head. "You can be sure that's who works there." Eric pulled out his phone and stared at it. "Do you recognize one of them?" Neither name had meant anything to her.

He seemed to think better of using his phone and pocketed the device. Had Eric not met Sookie, his Child would be on her way to slaughter the entire congregation of the nearest chapter of the Fellowship of the Sun. Instead, he remembered the conversation they shared regarding how Sookie would approach the matter, as opposed to Pam's desire chip away at the problem, one addict at a time. She had said she would not make the issue about vampires, but about the illegality of the doctor's actions.

"What's going on, Eric?"

"I believe I know who is behind Pam's poisoning," he said.

"Which doctor is it? You know them?"

Eric felt surprisingly calm, and he did not mind giving Sookie the credit for it. "It is not the doctor I am interested in. Well, not entirely." The doctor would be punished, he was sure. Sookie could see to that as legally as she wished. "I am more interested in the brother."

"You're worse than Niall, just spit it out," she said sharply, and he laughed.

Eric held the paper in front of him. "Rebecca Lawson. Her name used to be Newlin, yes?"

"Her maiden name, yes. That's what I read," Sookie agreed.

"Lover, are you familiar with the Fellowship of the Sun?" He was sure she was, and just as sure the look on her face was one of disgust.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm familiar with them. In theory," she added.

Eric reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. His appreciation of her grew exponentially each passing moment he spent with her, and he kissed her. "Do you know who the founder of the Fellowship is?" Sookie shook her head, confused. "His name is Steve Newlin."

"No!" She clapped a hand to her mouth in disbelief. "The Fellowship?" she asked angrily.

"We will have to confirm the connection-"

"The Fellowship of the Sun?" she went on, raising her voice.

"Sookie-"

She threw up her hands and stomped across the porch. "A Christian church? A church?"

"The man hiding behind the church, yes." A part of Eric admired the ingenuity and initiative of it, though it was a very small part. He expected Sookie to continue her rant, he was enjoying it, so he was surprised to see tears on her face.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "It's not...it's not right, Eric."

From where her compassion came, he didn't know, though he was sure it was not from her great-grandfather. "Do not apologize. They are not worth your tears," he replied. Eric was long past questioning the actions of humans and supernaturals alike.

"God, Eric. He hides behind his God." She gestured up and down his body. "You're in his image," she protested.

Eric snickered. "It is a morality argument you will not win, do not bother."

"I detest hypocrites."

He nodded and found himself smiling. "I see that." They stared at each other, and he felt he knew what was going through her mind. "It makes it difficult to go about matters legally."

Sookie blushed and waved him off. "I know he'll pay. If he's really behind it, I know. You warned me."

Eric pulled her to him again and stared over her head out into the yard. "I did not particularly wish to come here, but I am pleased that we did."

Sookie's laughter was muffled by his broad chest. "That also isn't much of a compliment."

"I am to 'work' on that, am I not?" He tilted her chin up to see her face. "Your great-grandfather was correct in his praise. You are best." He brought his mouth to hers again, ignoring the warm wetness coming from her eyes and focusing on the feel of her lips and tongue. The rain had long ago stopped, and they had not made it out to the lawn. "This is the home in which you grew up?" he asked.

"Yes, why?"

There were hours until dawn and certainly time for the drive back to Shreveport, even if they stayed a bit longer. "Perhaps you could show me your bedroom?"


	18. Chapter 18

The Fairy Doctor

Eric closed his eyes and waited patiently as Sookie held his face in her hands. He'd had every intention of tossing her onto her childhood bed and relieving her of her clothing, but her mood had shifted once they had entered the bedroom. He found himself in his current position, kneeling on the floor between her legs where she sat, her hands occasionally brushing through his hair and across his features.

"I've always thought," Sookie said, almost startling him, "that religion was created to keep us less human." Eric's eyebrow rose, and she smoothed it out with her fingers. "I mean, more God-like, and therefore better than the wretched humans we're supposedly born."

"Humans are wretched," Eric deadpanned, and she shushed him.

"But we can't truly be God-like, because we're human."

"Some of us."

"What's interesting," she went on, ignoring him, "is that vampires, the only former-humans of the whole supernatural lot, are the only ones to have 'come out,' so to speak."

"Why is that interesting?" he asked.

"Clearly, you are the most God-like out of all of us," she said seriously. "And vampires are immortal...you've beaten every creature in the evolutionary race."

Eric briefly wondered if every evening he spent with her, would be as thought-provoking and confusing as this one had been before commenting. "We are dead, lover."

"You most certainly are not," Sookie argued.

"We drink the blood of humans. We are hardly part of Steve Newlin's plan."

"Steve Newlin isn't God."

"Try telling him that." Eric rose from his knees and crawled behind her on the bed, his tall frame barely fitting its length. "Where are you going with this?"

Sookie shrugged and climbed over him, straddling his hips. "Nowhere," she said, starting to unbutton his shirt. "You've walked the earth for a thousand years...what do humans have that possibly compares to that? Do the zealots think God just, what, didn't notice you all that time? Does Steve Newlin truly believe he's the chosen one, brought forth to cast you from the temple?"

"Is it your...religious beliefs that have you so offended?" Eric asked. Along with fairies, deities were not something he gave much consideration. Or Steve Newlin, until that evening.

"Not at all. It's just that if someday I decide I want to become a vampire, or if fairies should decide to come out, not that I think that'll ever happen, I'd hate to think some ass like Steve...are you okay?" she asked, squirming under the tight grip of Eric's large hands around her hips.

"Which do you think will not happen?" he asked sharply.

"What?" she asked, trying to break away from him. "Eric! You're hurting me!"

He immediately released her, only to trap her beneath him, effortlessly sliding into position between Sookie's thighs and pressing his weight into her. "Fairies will not reveal themselves, or you will not wish to become like me?" he clarified. The roll of her hips was too much that he no longer was angered by her possible rejection, but by the fact he was not inside her at that moment. "Lover," Eric breathed into her ear. The need he had for her at that moment, that he'd possibly had his entire existence but hadn't realized, was consuming him. "Yield to me."

While his missive was almost too low for Sookie to hear, it's meaning was not lost on her. "I do," she replied, pulling his head up to where she could see his eyes. "I have," she insisted. "I am."

Eric reared back to rid her of the clothes on her lower body while unzipping his own pants. He stroked himself, despite the urge to fuck her right over the headboard of her bed and out the bedroom window behind it. He wanted to make something clear between them. "You will always yield to me," he stated. It was not about sex, it was about want, and possession, and belonging.

Sookie's hand trailed across her hips to find it's way between her legs. Eric's eyes followed while his own hand picked up its pace. "If it is what we both want," she said firmly, "then, yes."

"You tease me," he rasped. He did not like it, but not more than he disliked the idea that she would someday refuse him. That someday, he would be without her.

"You're immortal," she argued. "You need the guarantee-"

Sookie's words were cut off as Eric pushed their hands aside and plunged himself as far as he could into her, cursing as her warmth surrounded him. "Yield to me," he begged, the slickness and intimacy between them almost too much for him.

Her arms clung like a noose around his neck as she panted with each thrust. "You," she gasped. "You must promise the same."

It took a moment for her words to mean anything to him, but once they did, he stilled. Eric had never given in to another being, once he had been freed from the servitude of his Maker. The rules of his sovereign were followed easily enough, but to do that was only in his physical actions.

Sookie, too, was silent, catching her breath and looking at him with compassion and want in her eyes. He nodded, once, and gently slid himself from her, moving to position them on their sides. He lay behind her, Sookie's back to his chest, and he quickly splayed her legs apart so as to enter her from behind. There was something about caging her in his arms and rutting against her soft ass that appealed to him, and Eric nearly forgot why he'd arranged their bodies as he had. Her subsequent moans of satisfaction roused him from his movements.

"I will give," Eric promised, directly in her ear. "You will take. It is my promise." He quickly tore into his own wrist and placed it in front of her mouth, his entire body coiling with Sookie's first pull of his ancient blood. "Fuck," he hissed, repeating the word with each rapid pistoning of his hips, and he feared he would break her pelvis as she peaked around him.

Eric jerked his already healing wrist from her mouth and pushed Sookie over onto her stomach. The fit was even tighter in the position, but he was too far gone to stop. He could feel his own pleasure from the act itself, overlapping with the sensations of her body, as it all returned to him through the bond they had started. Eric surprised even himself when he climaxed, a long stream of unintelligible words he'd long forgotten that he knew spewing from his mouth.

Sookie's muffled laughter pulled him back to the present, and he pulled them both to a more comfortable position. "I may not like not being able to understand you by what you say, or the expression on your face," she said gently, stroking Eric's cheek, "but I do like being able to feel it."

Eric had no idea what to do with the new sensations pushing their way through his. He should not have been surprised that they were like the woman herself. His relief, that he enjoyed her inside of him, that he would now know where she was, at all times, that she had committed a part of herself to him forever...it came too quickly for him to hide it.

She smirked. "We can't lie to each other, can we?" she astutely observed.

"You have lied to me before?" he asked with mock indignation.

"Probably," she said lightly, resuming her probing of his emotions. "Oh! You're surprised by that! And I can feel it!"

"Enough," Eric said quietly, rising to sit on the edge of her bed. He was not interested in an oral version of what he was feeling, hence the point of forming a blood blond. If he wanted to talk about it, he would simply have done that. Perhaps. He was unsure of anything at that point, that had to do with Sookie. And gauging from the depth of their connection after one exchange, and not even a simultaneous one at that, Eric wondered what would come of future ones.

"Vampire blood is...different," she mused behind him.

Sookie liked it, he already knew. "Perhaps like fairy blood," he speculated.

"Excellent point."

The way Sookie felt when her mind took flight was fascinating to him. There was a physical hum to it that he enjoyed. With his Child, it was different. Eric knew where Pam was at any given moment, and how she generally felt, but he had never received a palpable energy from her.

"I like it," Sookie admitted quietly. "I like feeling you."

"I can tell."

She let his curt replies go and began to dress. "We should go back, I guess."

Sookie was giving him an out, he realized, and there was an air of resignation to her mood. "I am not unhappy with this," he said, feeling it an inadequate explanation but the best he could offer at the moment.

"I can tell," she said, repeating his words with a grin. "Try not to hurt yourself."

"I am not sure I like this flippant side of yours." It reminded him of his Child, and had Eric paid enough attention over his life to the women around him, he suspected it was not uncommon.

"You demanded we yield to each other," Sookie said, disappearing through the doorway to the bathroom. "I've never pretended to be something I'm not," she called.

Neither had he. Both had, out of necessity, hidden their true physical natures during their lives, but that was a supernatural given. Eric knew what Sookie meant.

She found him dressed and sitting on the bed, finishing a phone call when she returned. "Pam?" she asked.

He nodded and put away his phone. "It is not often that I am absent an entire evening from the club," he explained.

"What did she have to say?"

Eric raised his eyebrow. "Many things," he answered vaguely. "What you would expect, given the circumstances."

"I think you are better at speaking fairy than you realize," Sookie said drily.

What possibly surprised Eric the most, were the senses of genuine affection and regard he received almost constantly from the woman in front of him. They did not waver. They meant, he assumed, Sookie's acceptance, and he recognized it had been there from the beginning. Before there was a chance for preconceptions, for misconceptions, or even for misdirection on his part, as he was accustomed to doing, she had treated him as any other, as himself. Eric remembered how it had attracted him to her that first night, stalking her in her lab, and he appreciated it then, in her bedroom, that it had obviously been sincere all along.

He was, he realized, beginning to trust her. Or perhaps, more specifically, accepting that he already did. "I believe I am finished here," he said, rising to his feet and looking at Sookie expectantly.

"You are something," she replied, grinning.

"As are you, Dr. Stackhouse."

"I like the way you see things."

Eric pondered her words for a minute. He did not consider himself short-sighted, if that were her meaning. If anything, he owed his long life to his ability to envision all possibilities. "I see many things," he said finally.

"Exactly. How you see them, is what I like."

Eric felt the unnecessary urge to sigh. "Do you suppose the wards surrounding us contribute to your..." He gestured helplessly to her body, and Sookie laughed loudly.

"You're the one who wanted in, vampire."

"I believe I need out," he said, causing her to laugh harder. "I am taking you home," he growled. "To my home."

Sookie blushed, but it was now impossible to hide her excitement over his words. "I may have to stop at work," she said feebly, knowing it was too late for that, and it was Eric's turn to laugh.

"You wanted in, fairy."

She surprised him then, by approaching him to wrap him in a warm embrace. "I did," she agreed. "You make me better...you, not your blood." Her blue eyes were wet when she searched for his. "You do. You make me better than I am," she repeated sincerely.

For the first time in over a thousand years, Eric was speechless.


	19. Chapter 19

The Fairy Doctor

Pam watched, as Eric stared mindlessly at his computer, his fingers caressing the desktop in a meaningless pattern. He had been distracted since his arrival at the club, silent but content. It was bothering her.

"You're different," she said finally, lowering herself onto the couch and rifling through some invoices, ones she'd already checked and rechecked. Pam knew Eric had heard her, but he wasn't going to comment. "Where is the good doctor?" she finally asked. Her Maker had spent the last two nights with the telepath, so perhaps Sookie's absence was the cause of his strange mood. Pam did not find the idea encouraging.

"The hospital." Eric glanced to the clock on the wall above Pam's head. "She will be here." Both he and Sookie had gone down and risen together after returning from Bon Temps, and Sookie had insisted on checking her apartment, and then the hospital. Eric had not wanted her to go anywhere, desiring to keep his mate in his bed, under him, but Sookie had other plans.

"You mentioned some names," Pam said casually. His phone call the previous night had been frustratingly brief, even for him, and Pam could barely hold back her curiosity.

That seemed to snap Eric from his reverie. "Yes," he agreed, sitting forward. "We have the names of the those distributing the methadone at the clinic."

"How?"

"Niall Brigant."

Pam nearly dropped the papers from her hand in surprise. "Niall Brigant knows the doctors at the clinic?"

Eric laughed at the idea. "Possibly. Who knows? No, Sookie asked him for a favor, and he delivered."

"What was the favor?" she asked suspiciously.

Eric's eyes closed in frustration at yet another convoluted conversation with an inquisitive female. "We are not in debt to him, if that is your concern." As if Eric would wish to owe anything to a fairy. He pulled the worn envelope from his jacket and held it out to Pam. "Look closely at the relatives of the female," he suggested, as she read.

Pam was strangely silent, her lips pursed. "Really."

Eric was surprised. "That is all you have to say?"

"It surprises me," she said. "I would not have expected such...cleverness, from that group of zealots." It had been easier for Pam to focus, when she was ready to hold one small junkie accountable for what had happened. "This could truly mean war," she said seriously. "If another vampire poisoned-"

"When another vampire is poisoned," Eric said, correcting her.

"We have to go to the Queen!"

"And tell her what?"

Pam's eyes widened. "That there is a group of humans poisoning vampires! Are you mad, keeping this from her?" she demanded.

"And how should we explain your survival?"

Pam opened her mouth to reply and promptly shut it, staring at him with disbelief. "You would sacrifice another vampire, and possibly our own survival," she asked, gesturing between the two of them, "for...for her?"

Eric shook his head slowly. "I will not sacrifice her," he said quietly, meaning Sookie.

Pam was furious. "Godammit, Eric! What has she done to you?"

"We will handle this," he said calmly, ignoring the turmoil and anger rolling off his Child.

"We cannot take on the Fellowship of the Sun by ourselves!" Pam spat.

Eric had had enough. "We will first confirm the doctor connection and go from there." He paused, realizing Sookie was near. "You will not speak of the Queen to Sookie when she arrives."

Pam silently fumed and gathered her paperwork. "I am curious, what has she said of all this?" she asked testily. "Does she even realize the implications, of what would happen should we have to deal with these fanatics?" Pam wondered what loyalty Sookie would have to vampires if indeed they chose to take out the Fellowship.

"She is with us."

Pam snorted. "Bullshit. She'll run to the nearest fairy and hide behind his tunic."

"On the contrary," Eric said icily. "She intends to treat any vampire as she did you, though she would prefer to do so out of necessity. That she is a telepath with the only known cure for silver poisoning is not lost on her. Her words were, I believe, that she feels no one should die unnecessarily."

"We are already dead."

Eric rose from his desk and crossed the room. "She would disagree with you, Pam." He made to leave, and Pam stopped him.

"It is a very dangerous line we are straddling."

He nodded and gently rested his hand on Pam's shoulder. "I will not let us cross it," he promised. Eric paused before opening the door. "I believe, Sookie will be the key to getting out of this."

"She'll end up dead, Eric."

He smirked and opened the door. "I do not think so. She has too many...connections." While Pam stormed off toward the bar, Eric exited through the rear of the club to intercept Sookie in the parking lot. He spotted her car immediately and waved her toward one of the empty spots near the back door.

"Hey," she greeted him, taking the hand Eric offered as he opened the car door for her. They stood for a few seconds, watching the other, until she reached her arms up around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You seemed..." Sookie was at a loss for words, trying to describe the vague discomfort she'd felt earlier in the evening after they'd parted. "Maybe it was me," she speculated, leaning back to study his face again. "You seem happy now."

He was. "Pam and I argued earlier."

"It's so interesting," Sookie said honestly. During the ride from Bon Temps, she had said very little, engrossed in the bond they had made. He had felt her the whole drive, gently probing and reacting to him through their shared blood. "It really amplifies things, doesn't it?"

Eric escorted her into the building, eager to keep her close to him. "That may simply be that you've had vampire blood, lover."

"Oh, sure," she said, quickly agreeing. "I just meant...I can't read you, so this is kind of exciting for me, being so close to you. You'll have to excuse my enthusiasm," she apologized.

Eric would be doing no such thing, as he preferred the closeness, as well. "Could you sense me, the closer you got to Fangtasia?" he asked. They had reached his office, and he quickly pulled Sookie down with him onto the couch.

"You were with me all evening," she admitted. "I got a little more excited when I got here, but it wasn't like all of the sudden I could feel you." Sookie adjusted herself so that she straddled Eric's lap. "And that's another part," she said, rubbing against his obvious erection. "This... libido thing..."

"What?" he asked innocently, though his hands were already inside her clothes.

"We shouldn't do this here, Eric," she whispered, her tongue in his ear.

"We should."

"Home," she groaned as his fingers worked their ways between them.

"We can do it there, too," he promised.

Sookie felt the fabric of her underwear give way beneath her skirt and the length of Eric's cool hardness slipping its way inside her. "God, you feel good. So good." She found his mouth with hers, panting her breath into him as he pumped into her, harder and harder. "Eric," she gasped. "Can you...?" Sookie tried to brush her hair behind her shoulder, exposing her neck. "Just a little. I just want to feel...your fangs...a little," she begged, her speech interrupting by his thrusts.

Eric's hands clenched around her ass as he calculated how long it had been since he last took her blood. He didn't need it, but he wanted it. "Lover," he said soothingly, coaxing her along as she approached her climax. She was, he suspected, too worked up to think coherently, and he knew he was partly to blame for that. He should not have attacked her the minute he had the chance, though he enjoyed having her like this. Eric wondered if she would feel the same once she came down.

Sookie cursed and stuttered his name as she came, clinging to him, and Eric immediately allowed himself to follow her. Her tears did not surprise him, and he did his best to right her shirt before wrapping his arms tightly around her. Sookie had so openly welcomed the bond into herself, it had overwhelmed her. It would probably have been enough of an experience, just to have received Eric's blood, but to exchange...

"I am sorry," he said, holding her.

"I'm not," she mumbled into his neck, sniffling, and he laughed. "Jesus, Shepherd of Judea," she drawled, lifting her head from his shoulder. "You are a bad influence, Eric Northman!" Sookie looked around in a daze, as if just realizing where they were. "Your office!" she exclaimed. "I'm the one who should be apologizing! It's your place of business!"

As soon as she said the words, a strange feeling settled in Sookie's stomach. Eric felt it, too, and he tilted her face toward his to better see her. "Do not apologize," he said sincerely. "What we have done here is of no interest to anyone out there."

It was what Eric had done, there in his office, with others, that was bothering her, and it surprised her. "I think I'm jealous," Sookie admitted softly. It was ridiculous to her. He'd lived over a thousand years.

Eric's amusement through the bond was brief. "I am still inside you," he pointed out, moving slightly so that Sookie's hips twitched in response.

"I know."

He would have gladly continued, but there were business matters to discuss, and if they stayed in the position any longer, Eric would take her blood. It would be, he realized, too much like the encounters Sookie obviously saw in her mind. "I have never been inside any of them," he pointed out, referring to the blood he had shared with her.

Sookie blushed and wrapped her arms around him again. "I know, I know." She placed her hands on either side of his face and gently kissed his cheek before carefully climbing from his lap.

Eric had never experienced the affection Sookie showed him. He could not remember being held and kissed, as if an object, in a manner not associated with sex. He decided he enjoyed the attention. The tattered remnants of her underwear fell from under her skirt, and her blush deepened as she stooped to pick them up.

"I'll be in the bathroom," she said, and Eric nodded as she left the room. No sooner had the office door closed, than Pam opened it, swooping back in.

"Well, there is no doubt amongst the vampires here this evening, as to whom Sookie belongs," she remarked.

"Good."

"Even if they have not yet smelled her," she added, pretending to exam the cuff of her sleeve.

Eric studied his Child, trying to get a fix on how she felt about his blood circulating through his mate. "Do you think it poses a problem?" he asked. It did not, as there was only one vampire who might take issue with it, and she was standing in front of him.

"It is not their business, is it?" she asked calmly, though Eric knew she was not.

"Pamela-"

"I serve you," she said quickly.

Pam was not jealous, but he felt her deep uncertainty. "I would ask that you stay, until this is sorted."

"I do not wish to leave."

Sookie could be heard in the hallway, and Eric was surprised to see Pam open the door for her. She glanced to both of them and stepped inside. "Hi, Pam."

"Sookie." Pam closed the door and drifted to the side of Eric's desk. She smirked, when Sookie followed suit, opting to lean against the opposite side. "How was your trip?" she asked blandly.

The pretty blonde chuckled. "Vampire...fairy." Sookie grinned at Eric and shook her head. "I think it went well. I haven't heard otherwise from Niall, so..."

Pam seemed shocked. "You met with the fairy prince?" she asked Eric, who had been staring at Sookie.

"Not by choice," Sookie clarified. She was amused by the memory, but Pam was not.

"Why would you request an audience?" Pam demanded.

"He didn't," Sookie went on. "Niall came to see me, and he happened to be there," she said, pointing to Eric. "It was interesting, but we did get those names."

Eric had remained silent during the women's exchange, fascinated by the difference of emotions between the two. While Sookie felt hopeful and happy, his Child was suspicious and mistrustful. Both women felt the conflict inside him, both misinterpreting it.

"You ambushed him into meeting-"

"Pam!" Eric barked.

Sookie stiffened, much as she had witnessing Eric's immediate reaction to meeting her great-grandfather, and took a deep breath. "This isn't going to work this way," she said seriously, and both sets of eyes were immediately on her. "You're so..." She searched for the right words to describe the unsettled feelings she had. "You're confident, Eric," she started, nodding at him. "You should be. You are!" Sookie's gaze flitted to Pam. "I don't know how to make you understand."

"We do not serve fairies," Pam said bluntly.

"No one is asking you to!" Sookie exclaimed impatiently. "Would you just get over yourselves? My family doesn't give a shit about you. There's no ambush! There's no hierarchy!"

"And vampires don't give a shit about fairies!" Pam retorted.

"Exactly! So why do you both overreact this way? As if it's an insult to you, that a fairy prince ignores your existence and your rules? You're immortal! Does any of this really matter to you?" Sookie asked, trying hard to keep her voice low and not succeeding. "Eric," she pleaded. "I don't..." Sookie shook her head and blinked back her tears. "I haven't once spoken against either of you. Not for who you are, not for what you are, not for the things I'm sure you've had to do in your lives. I wouldn't dream of it. I keep coming here with the belief that we're equals. I feel like I'm working toward something, but at the end of the day, I'm not considered worthy of doing it."

"You are more than worthy," Eric said.

"Really?" Sookie asked. "I feel like, I could hand you both Steve Newlin's head, and one of you would ask if the platter were made by fairies, and the other would say that's not how vampires would have done it."

"She is much smarter than I gave her credit," Pam said sincerely, and Eric knew it was a mistake before Pam finished the sentence. He suddenly felt as if ice water were running through his veins, and he forced his eyes to Sookie's face. Her expression had fallen, and it was painful for him to watch her try to gather herself.

"I talked to Amy tonight," she said, clearing her throat. "I was worried for her. I mean, it's her hospital, and I owe her...a lot."

"Sookie-"

She ignored Eric's attempt to interrupt her and continued. "She said I could use whatever I needed, you know...if I needed to treat anyone."

Pam was confused, but Eric knew what was coming. "Treat whom?"

"I'll do it. I just wanted to say it. I'll do it." Sookie walked stiffly across the room and paused at the door. "I think it's safe to assume that Rebecca Lawson is your doctor. If you need me to scope her out, it probably wouldn't be too hard. You could even trail someone from the clinic. I wouldn't drink from them if I were you, but if you got me a sample, I could run it."

"Stop," Eric said, zipping to the door to block her.

"I know you can feel me," Sookie whispered, embarrassed that Pam could hear her. "I refuse to work this hard to earn your respect."

"You have my respect," he argued.

Sookie smiled sadly. "I have as much as you care to give me. I don't have anything left to give you, and I think it's more than enough."

"So you are leaving."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm stepping away, Eric. I told you I detest hypocrites, and I'm being one right now. It's not fair to say I accept you, and then criticize you for acting like a vampire."

"I do not mind," he said sincerely, and she laughed.

"I don't see you as a vampire, and that's my problem." Sookie turned to Pam and pointed at her. "You're rude, but that I can get used to. And if there's supposed to be an order of things, if that's how you operate, then fine, I suppose I could pull rank and say, I don't have to answer to you." There was a time, Sookie would have wondered if she'd crossed a line, but she was done wondering.

Eric could not allow her to leave. "Stay with me," he insisted.

"I am with you."

"All of you."

"You have all of me," she said, her eyes wide. "Maybe you two can sit down and figure out what you want to do. I'm sure this is pretty daunting and requires, I don't know, a strategy. You can't just take on a group of fanatics by yourselves. I'm sure you've considered what would happen if another vampire is poisoned and your Queen finds out you knew who was behind it." Sookie nodded seriously and quickly kissed Eric again on the cheek. "I'm sorry, I know I'm not telling you anything you haven't thought about. Sometimes I can't help but think out loud."

"Sookie-"

"Good night, Pam," she said brightly, scooting past Eric. "I'll talk to you later," she promised, already down the hall but knowing Eric could hear her.

"Go," Pam said, but Eric held up his hand.

"I will, later." The two vampires stood facing each other, both deep in thought.

"I like her."

Eric raised his eyebrow, but he already knew. "She is..."

"She is," Pam agreed. "She makes you..." she went on, eyeing her Maker.

"Better," he replied, though the meaning was perhaps lost on Pam. "She makes us better."


	20. Chapter 20

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie sighed and sank back onto her heels, surveying the poor plants she'd pruned to within inches of their lives. Her saving grace, she figured, in an attempt to make herself feel better, was that they were fae in origin and almost impossible to kill.

She thrusted her pruning shears into the soil of one of the pots and looked around the rooftop. All of her gardens, regardless of location, had never failed as a place of contentment for her. The one above the hospital, though, was special, in that it combined her love of the sky and the dirt beneath it, along with her fascination of the beings that inhabited the space between. Sookie's thoughts immediately went to one particular being, and she smiled at the realization that he was, at that moment, coming closer to her.

Sookie quickly gathered the clippings from the plants and was scrubbing the dirt from her fingernails when she felt Eric land behind her. He'd brought another vampire with him, and Sookie braced herself for another of Pam's accusatory conversations.

"Extraordinary," Sookie heard Pam murmur as she turned to face the pair.

"You should see the portal back home," Sookie quipped, enjoying the way Pam wandered from plant to plant, weaving her way around the rooftop. "Straight from a fairytale."

"I could not smell it from the street," Pam observed. She fingered the fruit of one of the small trees. "Are these lemons?"

"Sort of," Sookie replied, and the vampire laughed.

"Of course."

The tree was one of Sookie's many hybrid attempts, in hopes of finding some variation of the fruit that did not harm her kin, and might possibly inoculate them to it. The juice had caused a very brief reddening of Claudine's skin when applied, but Sookie had yet to introduce it to her great-grandfather. She wasn't sure either of them would be willing to ingest it, but she was hopeful that repeated exposures to the variation might offer protection from the real thing in the future. She just wasn't sure she'd be alive when the fairies finally got around to trying it on their own timelines.

"Chamomile," Sookie offered, gesturing to the flower Pam was studying.

"That is not what I smell," she observed, frowning.

"Peppermint, fennel, licorice," Sookie replied. "That whole area is for the stomach," she explained, waving her hand. "You'd be surprised what some supernaturals will inadvertently ingest," she joked, and Pam laughed.

"Not anymore," she said drily. She brushed her hands together and leaned against the low wall of the garden.

Sookie had expected to see, or at least hear from, Eric that evening after having left him at Fangtasia, though she had to wonder that he'd brought Pam along with him. Despite having paid him little attention since his landing on the roof, Sookie's blood had done nothing but speak to him.

"Lover," he said softly, and she smiled widely as she walked to his side. His long arms pulled her tightly to him, and she felt his lips on the top of her head. Her never-ceasing openness and acceptance pleased him, so much to the point that he didn't want to be without it. Never had he willingly sought the approval of another, but having Sookie's had quickly become essential.

"We are here on business," he said, sliding his hands down her back and along her ass for a quick squeeze. "Somewhat," he added, smirking.

"Indeed," Pam quipped.

"Alright," Sookie said, taking a deep breath. "Here? Or...?" Eric glanced to the door that led from the rooftop, and she nodded. It didn't feel to her as if he cared, so she assumed Pam would be more comfortable indoors. "The lab?" she asked, and he nodded.

"No one is here?" Eric asked as she led them downstairs.

"Nope."

"Why would one need this place?" Pam asked suddenly, as Sookie held open the door to the lab for her.

"Well, like for treating you." The door locked into place behind them, and Sookie pointed to the stools around one of the lab tables. "Or something we're not willing to make a housecall for."

"You go to people's homes?" Pam asked with disdain, and Sookie laughed.

"Usually just for the beginning or end of life," she assured her. Sookie ignored the looks on both vampire's faces and climbed onto the stool closest to Eric's. "It's fairly safe here, too. So if someone's gotten themselves hurt under not the best of circumstances..." Her voice trailed off as she folded her hands in her lap.

"Your...doctor does not mind?" Pam asked.

"You being here? No." Sookie smiled mischievously. "Amy mentioned a marked improvement in the behavior of some patients with the added smell of vampire in the air."

Pam found that hilarious, and Eric smirked as he pulled Sookie and her stool closer to him. "I would consider walking through the rooms on a regular basis for a fee, if she were interested," he mused, playing with the ends of her long hair. It wouldn't be long until he'd try to make his way inside her, regardless of his Child's presence, so it was time to discuss the reason for their visit. "We need to move forward in our approach of the Fellowship," he said, abruptly changing the course of the conversation.

Sookie's eyebrows shot up briefly, and she casually leaned forward, propping her head on her hand. "Okay. What were you thinking?"

"You mentioned reading Rebecca Lawson," Pam suggested.

"I'm sure I could. Were you thinking I should approach her during the day-"

"No," Eric said soundly.

Sookie frowned, but it was in thought. "Doing it at night is trickier. I did go on their website today, though. The Fellowship does have evening events. That is, if she's even a member of her brother's church."

Eric decided that honesty would be the best approach with his fairy. "I do not wish to put you in her sights. I would prefer discretion." It was probable, that the man placing flyers she'd encountered was a member of the Fellowship's congregation, and Eric would not have Sookie recognized again inside the church.

"She should not do it alone, either," Pam chimed in, surprising the other two. "We cannot show our hand too soon."

"You think I'll say something I shouldn't?" Sookie asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"No, I do not," she replied sincerely. "But were I to attack someone in your defense, the Fellowship would know we were onto them."

"Excellent point," Eric mused. "I suggest surveillance." He would not mind being alone with Sookie, at night, eavesdropping outside the Lawson home.

Sookie was silent, staring across the table at Pam. "I do know someone who could help." She glanced to Eric and nodded. "I know someone willing to sit in on a service, just to confirm if Rebecca's a member." More than willing, Sookie knew her cousin Claudine would be ecstatic to hob-knob with a group of repressed Christians in a closed room. "She won't ask why, either," Sookie added.

"She?"

"One of your cousins?" Eric asked, smiling.

"You know, if anyone recognizes her, they wouldn't say a word, either." Sookie knew, no man familiar with Claudine or her strip club would dare peep a word, or even look at her cousin, not with his wife sitting next to him in church. It would be a shame that Sookie would not be able to hear their thoughts.

"What am I missing?" Pam demanded, and Sookie briefly explained her cousin, and her 'ties' to the community. "She will do this for you?"

"As you would for Eric," Sookie said calmly, and Pam nodded in understanding.

"So your cousin will confirm the doctor's role in the church, and we will follow up ourselves once that is established," Eric said, looking to both the women for confirmation. He was satisfied that they were inching closer to Steve Newlin and possibly something more concrete to give to his Queen, should they need to.

"I'll speak with her later today," Sookie said, looking to the clock behind her. "Though she's probably up now..."

"Later is acceptable," Eric said, rising from his seat. "Pam."

"Until tonight," she said briskly, rising as well and moving for the door.

"Wait!" Sookie yelped. "I'll let you out!" She showed Pam to the stairwell for the roof, explaining that she'd be happy to take Pam down to the front of the hospital, but the vampire waved Sookie off and disappeared up the stairs.

She found Eric lounging in the office of the lab, seated in the desk chair. "Sit," he said, patting the ledge of the desk in front of him between his legs.

Sookie did as he said, smiling down at him. "I'm glad you came to see me."

"As am I." Her blush was lovely, and it didn't take much to convince Sookie to turn around to face the desk, away from him. He gently removed her clothes and moved her over the desk, until her upper body rested on it. "Cold?" he asked, though he knew she wasn't. She was very warm, especially between her legs where his hand was, caressing her. "I like seeing you like this," he admitted, though it was the most submissive position he wished to have her in. Unlike the previous female humans he'd taken over the years, he did not wish to manipulate her body as he saw fit. He did not wish to take what he needed with as little contact as possible, and he had no desire to humiliate her.

"It feels so good," she moaned softly, pushing herself back onto his fingers.

Eric unfastened his jeans with his other hand and stepped out of them. His shirt would have to stay on, as he was too impatient to break contact with her. "Sookie," he breathed, slipping into her with one stroke. He widened his stance to move closer to her and bent over her body, cupping her breasts as he stroked into her. Both of their gasps punctuated the silence of the lab in rhythm with Eric's thrusts. "Tell me," he rasped, his cool breath at her ear. "Tell me."

All night he'd felt her, even during their argument. He'd felt it since taking her blood, and he could feel it then, as he moved her face toward his. "Say it."

"I l-love this," she stammered. "You...doing this..."

"Say it," he demanded.

"You!" she exclaimed, her orgasm overtaking her. "I love you..." she panted. Her fingers gripped onto the edge of the desk, as Eric pushed harder into her as he came, driving the piece of furniture along the floor. He snaked his arm under her hips, crushing her to him as he continued to pump inside her, unwilling to stop.

"Fuck," he hissed, slowing himself down and lifting his head from Sookie's hair. Eric's urge to bite her was the strongest he'd felt, and he reluctantly moved himself from her body. He slumped into the chair behind them, and pulled her to his lap. "Lover," he said apologetically. A part of him worried he'd hurt her.

"I've imagined that since that night in the club," she said breathlessly, referring to Eric's comment about bending her over his desk. "But we didn't make it off the couch earlier."

"You are not harmed?" he asked.

"Huh?" Sookie tried to straighten her hair to see him better. "I'm fine, why?"

"I was..." Eric looked at her briefly before his eyes darted away.

"Overwhelmed?" she offered, snickering. Sookie moved her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I can say it to your face, you know," she said, her blue eyes shining. "I love you."

Eric knew. "I did not mean to force you to...to say it." Though a part of him had.

"You can force me like that anytime you like, Eric," she deadpanned. "I loved it." Sookie hopped up from his lap to gather her clothes. "I'd love to go home with you, too," she went on, trying not to laugh. "I love your house, and I love your bedroom. And I even love-"

"Enough."

"Too much?" she asked innocently.

He wanted to say, he didn't see the humor in her mocking him, although he did. And he admired her for her courage in doing so. "I have ways of silencing your mouth," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Go ahead," Sookie replied, straightening her shirt and moving toward the door. "I'd love it."


	21. Chapter 21

The Fairy Doctor

Sookie watched with amusement, as her cousin mopped the gravy from her plate with the last remaining biscuit. "I think you missed a drop," she teased.

Claudine laughed and grabbed the plate. "I may just lick it clean!" she cackled, extending her tongue. "You are so talented," she said seriously, clasping Sookie's hand. "But if you ever decided to change careers..."

There were few things, Sookie felt, as lovely as her cousin's face when she was smiling, and it made Sookie do the same. "You'd be my biggest fan."

Claudine patted her flat belly and laughed again. "Maybe! But I already am, so the point is moot." The pretty fairy sighed happily and leaned back in her chair. "Your food is almost better than sex," she said from behind her hand, as if telling Sookie a secret. "Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind having again with Reverend Lawson's son."

"Oh, dear," Sookie groaned. "Claudine!"

Her cousin waved her hand and snorted. "Don't worry, he won't remember it! You know, for what those young human males lack in experience, they certainly make up for in stamina."

Sookie rubbed her forehead before covering her mouth with her hands. "Tell me what happened," she said, her voice muffled. Claudine had been thrilled, as Sookie had anticipated, to attend a service of the Shreveport branch of the Fellowship of the Sun church. And while Sookie had been specific in her instructions, she was not surprised Claudine had so literally taken matters into her own hands.

"Which part?" she asked, her dark eyes dancing. "Ha! I'm joking! I know you don't need any stories of mine," she added, glancing over her shoulder toward the bedroom in which Eric was resting. "I'll bet he's a handful!"

Sookie ignored the comment and shook her head. "So I take it, not only is Rebecca Lawson a member of the congregation, her husband heads it." It saddened her, to have confirmation of her speculations, but she knew how necessary the information was.

"Indeed," Claudine answered, opening the decorative jars on Sookie's countertop. "I knew I smelled cookies!" She grabbed a handful and dropped the lid back on the jar. "They are quite a pair, too."

"You met them?"

"Uh uh. Not really. Only on the way out, that shaking hands thing." Claudine brushed some crumbs into the sink and flattened her palms together as if in prayer. "Reverend Lawson," she drawled in a deep, terrible fake Southern accent, "and my lovely wife, Rebecca." Claudine gestured to the empty space beside herself and grinned stupidly. "Thank you for sharing the light with us this evening."

Sookie laughed at her cousin's impression and clapped her hands appreciatively. "What did you say?"

Claudine laughed and casually adjusted her breasts. "I said it was a pleasure, since I was used to seeing so many of his flock in the dark."

"Claudine!" Sookie shrieked, immediately looking to her bedroom door, as if Eric could hear them. "You did not!"

"Oh, sweetie," Claudine replied, smiling at Sookie's blush. "Like I said, they won't remember."

"How did you manage to catch the son?"

"Ha! That poor boy couldn't take his eyes off me the entire sermon. It didn't take much to convince him to take me home."

"You were in the Lawson's home?" Sookie asked incredulously. She immediately thought to mention it to Eric, the possibility of her accompanying Claudine, should they need to investigate the couple further.

Claudine demurely covered her mouth and belched. "Above the garage. They never knew I was there. Bobby did."

"Bobby?"

"Robert Lawson, Jr. Though there's nothing diminutive about him," she said, smirking. "It's a shame he won't remember. He was much more creative by the time I had to leave."

"I'm sure," Sookie said. "So you're confident Rebecca Lawson is a physician at the clinic we visited, and that her husband is a church leader?"

Claudine nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "And that their eldest son is no longer a virgin."

Sookie couldn't help but laugh and hug her cousin. "Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it."

"Of course," she said, kissing the top of Sookie's head. "Anything for you!"

Once Claudine had left, Sookie tidied her kitchen and opened the French doors to air out the room. She had been warned of the effect the scent of fairies had on vampires and was not interested in being the recipient of a crazed Eric. That morning had been the first time he'd decided to go down in her home, and while she was thrilled, she would never had suggested it. He'd felt, to her, sure of his decision, but still, she would never want to make him uncomfortable.

Sookie showered, and waited on her couch, dozing, until the jolt of him rising woke her. She quickly rose to shut the windows and hurried to her bedroom door. The hallway was dark, but she was unsure if even indirect sunlight would harm him. They'd covered her bedroom windows earlier, and it had been so dark she'd tripped twice trying to leave the room after she awoke.

"Eric?" she asked softly. He was pleased about something, and very aroused, which Sookie had quickly learned was an ever-present part of his make-up. "May I come in?"

He surprised her by opening the door and grabbing her. "You may, though I am impatient." Instead, he turned with her in his arms, trapping Sookie against the wall and attacking her with his lips. "I prefer you to be in my bed when I rise," he mumbled into her neck, sucking and licking his way to her mouth.

"It's my bed," she moaned, instinctively palming him through his sleepwear. Claudine had no idea, exactly how much a 'handful' Eric truly was.

He snickered and released his hold on her, though his hips continued to rock into her hand. Eric had learned, that Sookie enjoyed watching him climax, by his hand, her hand, her mouth...all parts of her body. He was more than content to brace himself against the wall, while she had her way with his dick. "Shall I remove my pants, lover?" he suggested, snickering as she hastily yanked them down with her other hand.

"What about the sun?" she asked seriously, her grip faltering.

Eric closed his hand around hers and continued to pump. "Do not worry," he said reassuringly, enjoying how his desire had become hers, and subsequently his again. "Sookie," he murmured, cupping her breast with his free hand. He should have returned the favor, delving his fingers inside her while he came, and he vowed to do just that as he shuddered into their combined grip.

"Wait," she said, stilling his hand as it pulled at her shorts. "I'm serious, should we go in the bedroom?"

There was nothing more instinctual to a vampire, than an awareness of sunlight. More than bloodlust, an inherent, physical avoidance of it was nearly impossible to overcome. "Let me show you something about your home," Eric said, leading from the hallway. It had long been a suspicion of his, and he had tested his theory in her bedroom, seconds before Sookie had knocked on the door. "Come."

"Eric!" she protested, as he led her around the corner, into the sunlit living room. "Stop!" Though it was evening, there was still plenty of natural light flooding her apartment.

"It is the wards," he explained calmly, guiding her slowly to the closed doors. "Look."

Sookie, who had nearly been in tears, stared, open-mouthed at his skin, bright white in the fading sunlight. "Jesus," she whispered.

"I haven't seen the sun..." Eric replied, his voice trailing off.

"You're okay?" she asked nervously.

He nodded, staring serenely at the view offered from her apartment. Many a dawn he'd suffered, in less than light-tight accommodations, pain wracking his body until sunset, but Eric felt nothing but awe in that moment. "It is remarkable."

"I don't trust it," Sookie grumbled, putting herself between him and the light.

Eric laughed and scooped her up, sinking onto the couch with her in his lap. "Then you will have to trust me, that I will know if I am in danger."

"I shouldn't ruin it for you," she said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

He admired the different colors he could see in her eyes, and her hair. "You are beautiful in the light," he said. "As is your blush."

"Stop," Sookie complained. "How did you know?"

Eric shrugged and stared back outside. "Nothing penetrates your home from the outside. You should not be surprised, that the magic of your kind is more powerful than the sun," he joked, and she grimaced.

"No, that's just how it seems," she said knowingly, and he nodded.

"Excellent point."

"I wonder if Pam would like to see it?"

He hadn't thought of his Child, or any other vampire, for that matter. "That is up to you."

"You wouldn't want her to?" Sookie asked.

"She is not sentimental."

"But you are?"

It was not what Eric meant. Pam was content with her existence as a vampire. In truth, she despised most things human, with the exception of the one on his lap, and he could not recall hearing her long for anything from her previous life. "You may ask her, lover. I do not think she will care."

Sookie nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're welcome to the view anytime," she offered.

Eric nodded and contemplated the offer. He wanted to see her, outdoors on her balcony, and the temptation was great, to test the power of the wards. His mind raced to her home in Bon Temps, where the magic extended far around the property. The idea of lying in the setting sun, outdoors, possibly fucking her while doing so, was intriguing. "Stand at the window," he said suddenly, rising to his feet.

He stepped from his pants and helped Sookie remove her clothes, as well, facing her away from him, and gently placed her open hands to the windows as he moved in behind her. "It is too bad," he whispered, "that no one can see you, pressed against the glass." Sookie was aroused by the idea, and he smiled.

The angle was difficult, so he bent her further at the waist. "You would enjoy that?" he asked, as he reached around to roughly palm her between her legs. "You would not be ashamed, knowing someone watched as I took you?" Eric teased, barely pushing the tip of himself just inside her warmth before quickly pulling back out, over and over.

He was surprised when she spoke. "Would you?" she countered, her breath visible on the glass in front of her face.

"Would I like it, or would I be ashamed?" Eric suddenly thrusted forward, anchoring Sookie by her hips as he moved as deep as he could, his strokes rapid. They had not joined the night before, when Eric had unexpectedly shown up at her apartment, having decided to rest in her home, unable to spend the night apart from her. "I would not be ashamed, nor would I like it," he ground out. He had fucked countless women in the presence of others, and had witnessed even more, but what he had with Sookie was not for sharing.

She called his name desperately, clawing at the window as she came, and he lifted her from the floor as he finished a moment later. It was, he had noticed, becoming difficult to hold back from her, particularly during sex, and Eric fought to hide his concern as he eased himself from her body.

"I was rough," he lamented, pulling away to search for their clothes. Without looking at her, he handed Sookie her shorts before disappearing into the bedroom.

Sookie dressed slowly and waited a few minutes outside her bedroom door. If she were to guess, she felt Eric was disappointed, but it wasn't directed toward her. Realizing he was coming back out, she stepped quickly to the living room and smiled as he appeared. "Hey."

"I am needed at Fangtasia," he explained, heading for the door of her apartment.

"Wait!" Sookie cried. "Eric!" She grabbed his arm as he reached for the handle and tugged it back. "You can't go out now!" she exclaimed, pointing to the window. "Jesus Christ, what's wrong?"

He glanced at the almost darkened sky and chuckled "I believe I forgot I was a vampire," he said truthfully.

Sookie frowned and shook her head, glaring at the view outside her balcony. "It's playing with your mind, I warned you. It's..." She stomped to the kitchen in frustration and shakily poured herself a glass of water. "Am I doing that to you, too?" When he hesitated, she slammed the glass on the counter. "Am I?"

As a rule, Eric was not fond of distraught women, and feeling Sookie was particularly painful. "It is not that." She did play with his mind, but it was not a fairy trick or diversion, nor was it something he didn't want. He wondered that he'd been too physical with her, that he'd be able to exert the necessary control not to harm her.

"Then what? What has you so hell-bent on leaving?" She'd yet to tell him about Claudine's visit, or even talked to him much since he had shown up that morning before dawn.

"I was not thinking," he admitted. "Pam did text me. It is true that I must tend to some things at the club. I assumed you perhaps would go to the hospital, and that you would meet me later."

"Claudine was here today, Eric," Sookie said, carefully studying him. "We should all probably talk now." She decided she was going with him, and she knew he could feel her uneasiness with his demeanor.

Twice Sookie turned to her bedroom, unsure what to take with her. "Should I pack a bag, or are we coming back here?" she asked, hopeful she was not, with or without him. Had Pam witnessed Eric nearly stepping outside earlier, Sookie was sure she'd be a bloodless corpse on the floor.

"No," he said soundly. "We are not coming back. I believe I have had enough light for one day."


	22. Chapter 22

The Fairy Doctor

Eric disappeared with Pam the moment he and Sookie set foot in Fangtasia, and she found herself seated at the bar, half-heartedly drinking a soda, staring at the mirrored wall behind the register.

"Something else?" asked the bartender, suddenly appearing in front of her. He was slight in build, Japanese, she guessed, his skin covered with intricate tattoos. He wore his long, black hair loose, which for Sookie only added to his physical appeal.

"Kekkou desu," she ventured, trying to remember the few phrases she'd once learned from a peer during her medical training.

The handsome vampire smirked and gave Sookie the slightest nod of his head, before moving on to another customer.

"Charming the staff?" Pam asked into Sookie's ear, startling her.

"Probably asking where the bathroom is," Sookie replied, swiveling in her seat.

"He's very popular," Pam replied, coolly observing the handsome bartender. Sookie refrained from commenting on his appearance and waited. "Come," said Pam finally, gesturing toward the front of the club. "Eric has matters to attend, and I have been told to occupy you."

Frustration flooded Sookie, and she fought to tamp it down. "If you're busy, Pam, I can-"

"I am not busy, he is," she replied dismissively, and Sookie wondered if she would ever have a normal conversation with Eric's Child. "We should familiarize ourselves with each other," Pam went on, gently guiding the confused telepath to the club's entrance.

Sookie nodded and took a seat on the stool Pam offered just inside the large door. "Just us girls?" Sookie joked, disappointed by the blank look she received.

"I suppose."

Several minutes went by in silence, as the pair observed the steady stream of patrons filtering past them into the club. Sookie noted that they were admitted in regular intervals by a vampire on the other side of the door, and she wondered what purpose she and Pam served, sitting quietly inside.

"Well?" Pam asked suddenly.

"Well, what?"

"What are you hearing?" she asked, once the present group had passed. Sookie shook her head, not understanding, and Pam huffed. "Are you not 'screening' them?"

Sookie frowned. "Am I supposed to be?" she retorted. "I thought we were 'familiarizing' ourselves with each other." She suddenly wondered what exactly had been discussed between Eric and Pam, and who was responsible for suggesting she screen Fangtasia's patrons. "I'm not a dog and pony show, Pam," she said, sliding from the stool. "And I'm not sure what you had planned," Sookie went on, lowering her voice as the door behind her opened, "but we have things to discuss, and if we're not going to get to them, I can come back another time."

"What is a dog and pony show?" Pam asked, ignoring the majority of what Sookie had said.

"Look it up," Sookie replied, walking swiftly back into the club. Her overnight bag was still in Eric's car, and while she didn't need it, she would never storm off without at least saying goodbye to him. She wasn't surprised when he zoomed up in front of her in the hallway that led from his office.

"Lover."

"How is it," Sookie demanded, temper flaring, "that two extremely intelligent beings like you and Pam, surrounded on a nightly basis by humans," she continued, flailing her arm in a wide circle around herself, "dependent for most of your existences on the blood of said humans, be so ridiculously dense about the world around yourselves?"

Eric glared over Sookie's shoulder, and she knew Pam was behind her. "Pamela?" he asked.

"It's not going to change, is it?" Sookie wondered aloud, her face sad. "How have you survived this long?" she asked him honestly, searching his face. Her features suddenly smoothed and she chuckled darkly. "I get it."

Pam slowly shook her head behind the babbling woman and shrugged. "Get what?" Eric asked cautiously.

"You're not fairies."

"Agreed," he replied, shooting a look to his Child.

"And you are not a vampire," Pam said drily, moving past them and into Eric's office. She took a spot in front of Eric's desk, leaning against it, and waited. Only her Maker, she decided, would willingly take on such a frustrating creature as Sookie Stackhouse. The pair of them were, she felt, perfectly matched.

"I shouldn't have called you both dense," Sookie mumbled, sitting next to Eric on the couch. "I'm sorry."

Eric's gaze fell on his Child. "To have survived all this time," he speculated, "has not required much...transparency."

"Ha ha," Sookie said tonelessly, resting her hand on his thigh. "Look, if you want me to read everyone who comes in here, just ask. Me," she clarified, sensing the hostility Eric immediately directed at Pam. "Ask me, directly." Both vampires nodded in acknowledgement, and Eric covered Sookie's hand with his own. It was a simple request he did not anticipate having difficulty fulfilling.

Pam was curious. "How are we not fairies?" she asked, genuinely interested in Sookie's observation.

"Well, you're here, for starters. I mean, you're stuck here, in this realm. I think that makes all the difference," she said, nodding. "You don't have another option. You're dependent on humans as your food source, so you have to put up or shut up. Forever."

"Interesting," Pam said, mulling over Sookie's words.

"So you just...plow through," Sookie continued, her hands making a pushing movement in front of her. "Whereas fairies...dance around."

Eric raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I would hope to be more subtle than simply 'plowing' through."

"You're as subtle as possible, Eric" Sookie agreed with awe in her voice. "That's how you've survived."

He was shocked at the reverence he felt from her. Sookie admired him, in ways no one else had. Eric glanced at Pam, who was intently observing him. "I have finished with club business," he said swiftly, wishing to redirect the conversation. "We should move on to the information you obtained from your cousin."

Sookie recounted what Claudine had told her, leaving out the seduction of the younger Robert Lawson, and was impressed with the attention both vampires paid her every word. "So, Rebecca is the doctor from the clinic, and her husband is a figurehead for the Fellowship. We still don't have proof that she's slipping silver into the methadone, but I think it sounds promising."

"We could take her," Pam suggested. "Interrogate her, or have Sookie do it."

Both Eric and Sookie nodded. "I think it may have to come to that," Sookie conceded, looking at Eric. "If I could test an actual dose, then I could prove there's silver in it, but the methadone's taken on site, and it's not like we could follow the patient and pump his or her stomach."

"Nor are we available during the daylight for such an endeavor," Eric added.

"You would glamor Rebecca Lawson into telling you what you needed to know?" Sookie asked, and he nodded. "And then what? Assuming you or I got what we needed out of her." She could tell Eric was holding back from her, and the look on Pam's pinched face confirmed it. "You'd kill her," she said softly.

Eric shrugged. "We would inform the Queen."

"And she would kill her?"

Pam snorted. "No, she would have the local Sheriff handle it," she said, gesturing to Eric.

"What about her connection to the church?" Sookie asked. "How far would your Queen want you to go?"

"That is an excellent question," Eric said, stretching his long legs out in front of him. "I am curious. You once mentioned that you would go after the doctor by legal means..."

Sookie nodded and swallowed. "I did. It's illegal to tamper with the methadone, which is what she's doing. Were we able to find a patient of hers and prove that the patient consumed silver with the methadone, and then trace it back to its distribution, we'd have a legitimate complaint."

"Can we not accuse her of it without such proof?" Pam asked.

"We could. We could even do it anonymously," Sookie replied. "But it's my understanding that any complaint made to the state medical board is forwarded to the defendant by mail. So you'd end up tipping her off before the board could formally investigate. Which they would do," Sookie added encouragingly.

"You have changed your position," Eric observed evenly.

"It's worse than we thought, though, isn't it?" she asked. "I hadn't thought through what it would mean to go public with this. If it got out, that this were a way to poison vampires, I think you'd lose a lot of your food source."

"But we no longer drink from humans," Pam said drolly.

"And," Eric added, "there now exists a cure." He raised his eyebrows at Sookie and winked, though she couldn't see the humor in any of it.

"You're not worried about this becoming public knowledge."

"It is not that," Eric said calmly, rising from his seat and moving to his desk. "I have to wonder, how many clinics are able to go to these lengths and how the Fellowship planned to measure the success of their efforts? Of course, had you not cured Pam of her poisoning, I would perhaps not have the leisure of asking these questions." The advantage Sookie had given them was not lost on the ancient vampire.

"We do, at the moment, have the upper hand," Pam agreed.

"Suppose it was suggested, that ingesting this type of silver would 'protect' humans from vampires," Eric hypothesized, leaning back in his desk chair. "Could such an effort actually be sustained over time? Would the average person invest the time and money? And would the average person believe, that a vampire would not seek retribution for such an act?"

Sookie agreed with him to an extent. "Colloidal silver isn't without it's own drawbacks," she remarked. She also had no idea how expensive the supplements were, but she could imagine the price would climb exponentially if there were a significant demand. "I wonder if the Fellowship is feeding it to their congregation," she said distractedly, her mind wandering to Robert Lawson, Jr. It was possible that Claudine could get her a sample of his blood.

"Presumably, humans are aware the danger silver poses to vampires," Eric said.

"I've yet to come across any here," Pam added.

"That is my point. I think, over time, this threat will diminish." He also reasoned, that humans were often skeptical, something a few well-placed disclaimers could play upon, should any of it become public knowledge.

Sookie felt they were being short-sighted, and a bit smug, but didn't comment on it. "You understand, I was only able to free up the silver in Pam's system because it was attached to the opioids." Both vampires stared at her blankly, and she almost laughed. "Had the heroin not adhered to your central nervous system, I probably couldn't have gotten rid of the silver."

"What do you mean?" Pam demanded.

Sookie sighed and shook her head. "You drank silver," she started. "So I pumped your stomach, and tested you for heroin." She raised her hands up helplessly. "Had the silver just kept circulating, who knows what would have happened? I was only able to filter it out, because it was attached to the heroin and methadone, which I was able to reverse, therefore freeing it to be filtered. That might be the only reason you survived."

Pam was confused. "I still do not see your point."

"The silver was bound to a site Sookie could access," Eric explained. "She is saying, had the silver lodged someplace else, she could not have helped you."

"When I think about it, though, you may be right about the threat this really poses," Sookie said excitedly. "I think the only reason Pam was so affected, was because it was bound in her CNS, and not like, her kidney, or some other organ she doesn't use. Maybe if you unwittingly drank once from a contaminated non-opioid using donor, it wouldn't do any harm."

"So avoid the addicts," Pam mused.

"Or the same donor multiple times."

Eric was, once again, amazed at the way in which Sookie's mind worked. "Do you think the Fellowship appreciates the distinction you have made?" he asked.

Sookie frowned in thought. "I don't know Rebecca Lawson, but I'd guess not. As far as I can tell, she's human and foolish enough to go through with the Fellowship's plan. I doubt she's doing anything more than what's been asked of her. It's certainly something we can find out from her first hand," she suggested.

"Then that is what we will do," Eric said brusquely, nodding to Pam. "Have her followed."

Pam winked at Sookie on her way out of the office, and Sookie blushed. "You two are something else," she remarked.

Eric was suddenly on her, pinning her to the couch and causing her to let out a small scream. "I do enjoy when you make that sound," he said.

"Eric!"

"That one most of all." His mouth was on her neck, but her mind was elsewhere. "What is it?" he asked, reluctantly releasing her.

Sookie shifted into a more comfortable position under him and moved her hand to his cheek. "I think you should warn your vampires," she said softly.

He would, as soon as he spoke with his Queen. "Have I thanked you recently for your help, lover?" Eric asked, pressing himself between her thighs.

"Is that what we're calling it?" Sookie thought back to earlier in the evening and was grateful for the improvement in his mood. "You weren't quite so gracious, if I recall..."

Eric chuckled and lowered his mouth to her skin again. "I cannot be held responsible," he murmured, "if I do not know how to behave, as I have not encountered anyone like you."

"I hope you're a man who learns from his mistakes," she sputtered as his tongue found her ear.

"I am," he promised. Every word Sookie had ever said to him, every gesture, every feeling they shared had not gone unnoticed by him. "Though nothing about you," he said sincerely, "is a mistake."


End file.
